Cuba has uncovered a human trafficking ring that has been coercing the island nation’s citizens to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine.
Cuba’s foreign ministry said the authorities are working to “neutralize and dismantle” the network, noting that the traffickers were operating both on the island and in Russia.
“The Ministry of the Interior… is working on the neutralization and dismantling of a human trafficking network that operates from Russia to incorporate Cuban citizens living there, and even some from Cuba, into the military forces participating in war operations in Ukraine,” the official statement declared.
The Russian authorities have not responded to the claim as yet.
Last year, Russia announced plans to expand its armed forces to 1.5 million combat personnel, a 30%-plus increase in size.
In late May, the Russian newspaper Ryazan Gazette, reported that Cuban citizens had signed up with Russia’s armed forces and were being shipped to Ukraine in exchange for being granted Russian citizenship.
Russia has long been an important destination for Cuban migrants seeking to escape economic stagnation at home.
From the time of Fidel Castro, there has been a long history of cooperation between the two governments. Earlier this year, the Cuban and Russian defence ministers met in Moscow to discuss developing joint “technical military” projects.
Cuba, however, insists it does not have any involvement in the Ukraine conflict. “Cuba is not part of the war in Ukraine,” the foreign ministry statement said, noting that the government would “act energetically against anyone” involved in any form of human trafficking that sought to recruit “Cuban citizens as mercenaries to use arms against any country.”
In posting the statement on X (formerly Twitter), Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez stressed that Cuba was using “the force of the law” to counter attempts to recruit its citizens.
