Cuban authorities reported that it has successfully identified a network that forces some Cubans to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine. A statement from Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior said that efforts to “neutralize and dismantle” the illegal network are being carried out. The traffickers are working to incorporate Cubans living in Russia, and some from Cuba, to join Russia’s war against Ukraine, the statement said.
In 2022, the Russian government announced its plan to boost its military personnel to 1.5 million fighters. Then, a report from a Russian newspaper in May said that some Cubans have signed contracts with the Russian armed forces in exchange for Russian citizenship.
“Cuba is not a part of the war in Ukraine,” the Ministry of the Interior’s statement added. Cuba is historically known to stand against mercenaryism and is one with the United Nations in actively repudiating such practice. The statement also said that Cuba will vigorously pursue illegal human traffickers who recruit Cubans and use them as weapons against other countries. Criminal proceedings and prosecution of cases involving the coercion of citizens to fight in Ukraine are ongoing.
