The United States is expected to unseal criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raul Castro on Wednesday in a move that could further deepen tensions between Washington and Havana and inject new strain into an already volatile regional relationship.

Multiple US media outlets, citing US Justice Department sources, have reported that federal prosecutors in Miami are preparing an indictment tied to Cuba’s 1996 shooting down of two civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Raul Castro, then Cuba’s defence minister and the country’s second most powerful figure after his brother Fidel Castro, has long been linked by exile groups and US officials to the incident.

If confirmed, the case would mark the first time Washington has sought criminal charges against one of the Castro brothers, whose revolution transformed Cuba into a communist state aligned against the United States for decades.

The expected indictment comes amid a broader hardening of US policy towards Cuba under US President Donald Trump’s second administration, which, since January, has significantly tightened sanctions, increased pressure on foreign fuel suppliers and openly questioned the legitimacy of Cuba’s government.

Washington has framed the measures as part of an effort to force political change on the island, while Cuban officials accuse the US of attempting to engineer economic collapse.

In recent weeks, tensions between the two countries have risen sharply.