Members of Cuba’s diplomatic mission in Russia and friends of solidarity paid tribute today in Moscow to the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro (1926-2016) on his 98th birthday.

Representatives of the Russian Communist Party, the Russia-Cuba Friendship Society, the Fidel Castro Foundation and veterans of the Missile Crisis (also known as the Caribbean Crisis) arrived at the monument erected in 2022 in honour of the Commander-in-Chief in the Moscow district of Sokol.

In a simple but heartfelt ceremony, those present laid floral arrangements and exchanged views on the work and legacy of the Cuban leader, as well as his actions to strengthen the bonds of friendship and brotherhood with the people of the Eurasian giant.

The sculptural work to Fidel inaugurated by the presidents of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and of the Slavic nation Vladimir Putin, on 22 November 2022, is the only one of its kind in the world and represents a tribute from Russian society to the man they consider to be a paradigm of Latin America and the world.

In the square that has borne his name since 2017, a three-metre high bronze statue was erected, depicting the bearded young man in military uniform with his traditional beret, standing on a stone block with the map of Cuba.

After its unveiling, the architect and sculptor of the work, Andrey Beliy and Alexey Chebanenko, respectively, said that the sculptural ensemble represents the heroic path of a man who defended the rights of the people in his nation.