5,000 Cubans Fighting for Russia: U.S. Uses Ukraine War to Isolate Cuba

The United States is urging its allies to isolate Cuba at the UN due to the involvement of its citizens in the war against Ukraine.

According to an internal document from the U.S. State Department, which was obtained by Reuters, the U.S. administration has ramped up its diplomatic campaign against the annual UN resolution calling for the lifting of the long-standing embargo on Cuba.

As part of this campaign, U.S. diplomats will inform other countries that the Cuban government is allegedly actively supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

According to Washington, up to 5,000 Cubans are fighting on Moscow’s side.

This argument is intended to serve as an additional leverage to influence countries that traditionally vote in favor of the Cuba resolution.

Cuba had previously denied its involvement in the hostilities, claiming the exposure of an illegal recruitment scheme for citizens to participate in the war. However, the Trump administration considers these explanations insufficient.

The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that Cuba’s enemies were spreading distorted information aimed at tarnishing the country’s image and portraying it as an accomplice in those actions, which Cuba strongly rejected.

Journalists from Schemes uncovered the systematic involvement of Cuban citizens in the war against Ukraine on Russia’s side. They identified dozens of mercenaries, their routes, places of service, and motivations.

The investigation notes that Cuban citizens join the Russian army through deception, coercion, or for financial and ideological reasons. Some of them listed the purpose of their visit to Russia as ‘tourism,’ but later ended up on the front lines. The promised reward is about $2,000 per month for a year.

The journalists obtained documents confirming the service of Cubans in Russian military units, including unit 29328, based in the Rostov region. Personnel from this unit are also operating in Luhansk. The same unit had previously been linked to the presence of Nepali mercenaries.

Schemes analyzed hundreds of social media profiles, as well as passport copies, to establish the affiliation of Cubans with specific military units. One of the mercenaries, Aliyevski Anache, posted photos from a military unit in Tula, where the 51st Airborne Regiment of the 106th Guards Airborne Division is based, which participated in the battles for Bakhmut.

The journalists also spoke with captured Cuban Frank Dario Yarossey Manfuga, who revealed that he had come to Russia allegedly for construction work but had been deceived into joining the war. He stated that he had no intention of participating in combat and that his family had remained at home.