Ryazan Scheme: Journalists Explain How Cubans Were Recruited Into the Russian Army

Four residents of Ryazan organized a network for recruiting foreigners – mostly Cubans and Sri Lankans – to the Russian army under the guise of ‘construction work’ with promises of large payments.

According to Nastoyaschee Vremya, some of those recruited ended up in the trenches and reported the disappearance of funds from their bank cards. The victims appealed to the Russian police.

On August 31st, 2023, Cubans Alex Vega and Andorf Velasquez told in an interview how they have gotten to the war against Ukraine through Ryazan by signing Russian-language contracts.

Shortly afterward, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the exposure of a human trafficking network and denied the state’s official involvement in the recruitment of its citizens.

In October 2025, the U.S. State Department in an official cable called Cuba ‘the largest supplier’ of foreign fighters to the Russian army after the DPRK as the number of Cubans could reach five thousand. The Cuban government denied these accusations.

A journalistic investigation by Sistema identified three organizers of the scheme: Russians Elena Smirnova and Olga Shilyaeva, as well as Cuban Dayana Echemendia Diaz.

According to the investigation, the ‘job’ announcements were posted on social media.

The flight and accommodation were paid for by the ‘agents’, and the first payment was taken from the recruits allegedly to compensate for expenses. The contracts were signed at the military enlistment office in Ryazan.

At the end of April 2024, several Cubans filed complaints with the Russian police. A criminal case of theft was opened against Smirnova and she was taken into custody.

According to their friends, Smirnova and Shilyaeva are currently serving in the Storm V assault company of one of the brigades of the 1st Guards Tank Army of the Russian Federation Armed Forces. Diana Diaz denies any involvement in the scheme.

The case also implicates a Ryazan businessman, Oleg Koveshnikov, who reportedly vetted recruits and demanded copies of documents.

It has not been established whether the scheme was just a business or a cover for a state recruitment program.

The Russian government has not officially commented on the participation of foreigners in the war, and the governments of Sri Lanka and Cuba have also remained silent.

Recently, in the Kharkiv region, the soldiers of the 57th Motorized Brigade captured a Kenyan athlete who had been deceived into signing a contract to serve in the Russian army.