As with many other Cubans in their 70s, Alina Fernández’s first memory of Fidel Castro was watching his interminable speeches on television.

Former Cuban leader Raúl Castro was indicted by a U.S. grand jury in connection with the Cuban military's fatal downing of two planes in 1996 — an escalation in the U.S. pressure campaign against the Cuban government.

Raúl Castro is 94 and no longer holds any official title, but he still wields enormous power, experts say, particularly over the military.