In a regime like the Cuban one, nothing happens without the knowledge of the authorities, contrary to what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Bruno Rodriguez, wanted us to create this Tuesday. After weeks of speculation about recruiting Cubans to fight in the war against Ukraine, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the dismantling of a human trafficking network that from Russia captured Cubans on the island and in the Federation led Putin to fight the Ukrainians in exchange for significant amounts of money.

Bruno Rodriguez’s official statement underlines that “attempts of this kind have been neutralized.” [tráfico de seres humanos] There are no more specific details, and the Kremlin is not responsible for this operation, as if it had nothing to do with recruitment.

Officially, Cuba is not participating in the war in Ukraine, which the note refers to as a “military operation.” He assures that he opposes “any form of human trafficking for the purpose of recruiting or using mercenaries for the use of arms by Cuban citizens against any country.”

Cuba abstained from voting condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the UN General Assembly, believing that these actions do not contribute to finding a negotiated solution. He even voted against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky being able to address the UN General Assembly via videoconference.

At the end of May last May, the Russian press already noted that Moscow was recruiting Cubans for military operations in Ukraine, as reported by journalist Nacho Montes de Oca. topic on twitter. A Cuban soldier in one month will earn in Cuba an amount equivalent to his salary for two and a half years. In addition, thanks to legal reform promoted by Putin, they can acquire Russian citizenship. If they survive. As citizens of Russia, they receive their salary, unlike those who participate in medical missions and receive only a small part.

In a June report by Prisoners Defenders, they reiterated the agreement to send Cuban troops to Belarus for “military training”, although this country does not need this training as it is not at war, and at the same time they reflected how the Russian media confirmed the sending of Cuban soldiers to Ukraine. Under Cuban law, no Cuban military can leave the island without the consent of their government. “These are hired soldiers,” the document says.

cannon fodder

But just a few days ago, new revelations emerged, based on the testimony of two young men, uncovered by freelance Cuban paparazzo Alain and confirmed by various Miami media outlets, including AmericaTeVe Miami and journalist Juan Manuel Cao. Alex Vegas Diaz from Santa Clara and Andorf Velasquez Garcia from Havana explain in the video how they were tricked into going to Russia and serving the Russian army in reconstruction tasks.

However, they say that they did not receive the promised money, with the exception of a small part, they did not return the documentation, and they were also going to be sent to the front. They will be like cannon fodder, just like the other comrades they say are on the front lines.

They fled due to illness, but were trapped and unable to leave Cuba. They face a penalty of 30 years in prison if they try to violate the signed contract. According to them, this is a group of fifty Cubans. They are very young, only 19 years old.

They are said to have been recruited through social media. Kubinka acted as an intermediary and assured them that they would never be on the front lines, but that they and her Russian partner would have to trust because the contracts had not been translated into Spanish. Media loyal to the regime claimed that the whole thing was a “hoax” spread by “haters” of the Havana government.

In the audio, someone calling himself José Luis explains that there is a contract under which Cubans agree to work for one year, in two periods of six months. “It has been established that we are in the service of the Russian Army, but it is not specified where exactly we are going. I assure you there is no cheating. The amount of payments is set in the contract. Most of the payments are set in the contract. per month 204,000 rubles (about 2,000 euros). If you don’t fulfill the contract, you’ll go to jail. At the first stage, they leave Ryazan.”

According to Javier Larrondo of Defenders of Prisoners, “The airline that takes Cubans, Aeroflot, departs from Varadero, and tickets are sold out very quickly by the party that hires them. This is a direct Havana-Moscow airline, which “she has just created under an agreement between Cuba and Russia. Other airlines are canceling flights. It is curious that Aeroflot is opening the Varadero-Moscow line, and that is what they use.” In his opinion, “they came out to deny it, to turn the news around, because they were caught.”

These official media have just said that these young people have admitted to being economic immigrants and have been deceived by people who have nothing to do with the government. This is the same thesis that the Cuban soldier put forward to the journalist Juan Manuel Cao, editor of the El Espejo newspaper of America Teve.

No one can believe that there is a group outside the regime that can recruit young people to fight in Ukraine.”

Jesus Manuel Cao, journalist

“In order to protect the Castro regime, the soldier who writes to me ends up confirming that Cuba is indeed sending soldiers. He says that the contracts are being translated, that they are conducting medical examinations and that they are not on the front lines, and emphasizes that there is no one who went to Russia, they deceived,” says Cao, assuring that “no one can believe that there is a group outside the regime that can recruit young people to fight in Ukraine.”

This journalist claims that many military men sent him photos, videos, photocopies of contracts. The military explained to him that they do not seal his documents when they leave the country so that there is no evidence that the regime knew about it, as he now claims.

According to Cao, “the complaint went through the networks as they no longer control all the information, so the regime was forced to create this fantasy.”

obvious double play

Cuba is playing a double game: it does not sever relations with Ukraine, but they are firm allies of the Kremlin. Strikingly, the regime does not accuse the Russian army of using Cuban mercenaries, which it condemns at the same time.

Russia and Cuba maintain close bilateral cooperation, especially in energy matters, according to the Cuban digital media 14ymedio. Cuban Energy and Mining Minister Vicente de la O Levi was recently in Moscow and met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Russia also sells meat and dairy products to Cuba. Moscow has always insisted on the need for a commercial, economic and financial blockade of Cuba by the United States.

Traditional relations between Russia and Cuba received a new boost last May, after both countries reaffirmed their desire to strengthen Russian financial and business presence on the island through tariff exemptions, land concessions and links between their banking systems. While the US and the European Union contribute to the isolation of Russia due to its aggression in Ukraine, Cuba remains loyal. These services are paid for.