“Do you have the guts to bleed?” That’s the slogan used to promote a clandestine fighting league in Cuba that offers up to 20 euros per match. Amid the country’s deepening economic and social crisis, dozens of young people between 19 and 31 years old agree to fight without an audience, hoping to earn in one night what many don’t make in a month of state employment.

The business, said to have originated in Santiago de Cuba, has quickly spread through social media, where videos and ads promise money, popularity, and the chance to become viral figures. The fights take place in improvised spaces — rooftops, courtyards, or abandoned factories — and are recorded for later circulation on digital platforms with the goal of attracting sponsors.

The financial incentive is a decisive factor. In a country where the average state salary hovers around 12 euros a month, the 20 euros offered per fight represents a considerable sum. According to posts by the so-called “Free Combat League,” earnings can increase depending on the level of exposure and the bets placed on each match. However, the clandestine nature of the initiative leaves it outside any health or safety supervision.

Researcher Julio Cesar Gonzalez Pajes warned that such practices add a new component to the everyday violence faced by men in Cuba. The lack of job opportunities, the deterioration of social conditions, and the widespread economic hardship push many young people to engage in extreme or illegal activities as a means of survival.

Meanwhile, Cuba’s public health system continues to collapse. The breakdown is evident in the most recent data from the National Office of Statistics and Information’s annual report. For example, more than 77,000 health workers have resigned since 2021; hospitals lack resources, and citizen reports about disease outbreaks and the absence of drinking water multiply. The decay of basic services reflects the collapse of a model that for decades was a pillar of state propaganda.

Between 2021 and 2024, the total number of health-sector workers fell from more than 312,000 to just 234,000, a loss of nearly a quarter of the workforce. During that same period, the number of active doctors dropped from 106,000 to 75,000. Overwork, low pay, and shortages of medical supplies have led to a wave of resignations and migration, leaving hospitals understaffed and communities without basic medical care.

Precariousness is also visible in hospital infrastructure. Although the number of hospitals has remained at 149 since 2021, bed availability has declined, and many facilities operate with deteriorated equipment or without consistent electricity. In the country’s more than 11,000 polyclinics and family-doctor offices, service interruptions are frequent. Access to potable water and essential medicines has become a daily challenge, while outbreaks of diseases such as dengue and hepatitis have multiplied across several provinces, according to both citizen and official reports.

Urban hygiene problems worsen the situation. Failures in garbage collection and water supply have led to a rise in gastrointestinal infections and domestic pests like bedbugs, which spread amid shortages of fumigation products.

At the same time, the country is experiencing an unprecedented wave of migration. A group of Cubans is part of the migrant caravan crossing Mexico since October 1, 2025, facing detentions, illnesses, and hostility from some local communities.

Meanwhile, on the international stage, the Cuban regime is tightening its alliance with Russia. The Russian State Duma ratified a technical-military cooperation agreement with Havana that could expand personnel exchanges and training programs. The pact comes in the wake of allegations about Cubans being recruited to fight in the war in Ukraine under exploitative conditions.

Caught between internal desperation and new external alliances, today’s Cuba reveals a growing contrast: young people willing to fight and “bleed” for money in clandestine rings, doctors abandoning their posts for lack of resources, and a State that — despite its rhetoric — seems increasingly unable to respond to violence, poverty, and mass migration.

This article was translated into English from the original in Spanish.