Berliner Tageblatt - Legendary Cuban spy chief Ramiro Valdes dies at 94

"The physical disappearance of the commander of the revolution Ramiro Valdes Menendez causes me deep sadness, like that of a father," Diaz-Canel wrote on X.

Valdes was one of the few remaining survivors, along with Fidel's brother Raul, of the Granma expedition of 1956, when the Castros and other rebels sailed on Cuba from exile in Mexico to overthrow US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista.

The attack marked the start of a guerrilla war that would sweep Batista from power a little over two years later and usher in over six decades of socialism.

Valdes was second-in-command of a guerrilla column led by Argentina's Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

He went on to have a long career in both Fidel and Raul Castro's governments, serving twice as interior minister and once as vice president.

"Every moment of commander Ramiro's life was characterized by his absolute loyalty to the governments of Fidel and Raul and to his struggle companions," Diaz-Canel eulogized.

Valdes was a founding member of the Cuban Communist Party.

As interior minister in the 1960s, he set up what would become Cuba's feared G2 state security intelligence service.

"There was no one who moved without security knowing it, and that allowed us to infiltrate counter-revolutionary organizations," the famously reserved politician said in 2018 in a rare interview with Cuban state TV.

He dealt with "the toughest phase of the post-1959 confrontation" between the new revolutionary government and anti-communist groups that took up arms against it -- some with backing from the CIA, according to Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank.

Born into a poor family in the western province of Artemisa on April 28, 1932, Valdes was instantly recognizable by his white goatee and green military fatigues.

In February 2010, he spent several months in Venezuela, a major Cuban ally and financial backer.

The official narrative was that he was there to advise on energy matters but Venezuela's opposition claimed he was there to lead an intelligence operation.

Under ousted president Nicolas Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez, Venezuela provided Cuba with heavily-subsidized oil in return for Cuban intelligence operatives and bodyguards.

Valdes was anointed a "hero of the Republic" for his part in the revolution.

He had not been seen in public since last year.

F.Pavlenko--BTB