Cuban authorities have caught 17 individuals for trying to get Cubans to join the fight for Russia in Ukraine.
The person in charge of investigating crimes in Cuba’s interior ministry, Cesar Rodriguez, said that out of the 17 people who were arrested, at least three of them were involved in trying to recruit others.
He didn’t say who the people in the network were, but he mentioned that they had been in trouble with the law before.
On Friday, a few families started to voice their opinions about the situation. One mother said that her son was assured a job in building things in Russia.
Cuba’s government found out that a group from Russia was trying to convince Cubans in Russia and Cuba to join them in fighting in Ukraine.
They said the police were trying to stop and take apart the network.
The foreign ministry said in a news release that Cuba is not involved in the war in Ukraine.
Cuba and Russia are friends in politics and Cubans can visit Russia without needing a visa.
In May 2023, a newspaper in Ryazan, Russia, reported that some people from Cuba signed up to join the army at a military recruitment office there. The city of Ryazan is located about 100 miles southeast of Moscow.
The Ryazanskiye Vedomosti newspaper reported that some Cubans were in Russia to assist with completing tasks in a special military operation area.
It also said that some of them want to become citizens of Russia in the future.
In Havana, lawyer Jose Luis Reyes said on the state TV that authorities are looking into people who have done crimes like working as a soldier for hire or convincing others to become soldiers for hire. These individuals might be punished with up to 30 years in jail, life imprisonment, or even the death sentence.
Marilin Vinent, who is 60 years old, said on Friday that her son Dannys Castillo, who is 27 years old, is one of the Cubans chosen to work in Russia.
She told me that her son and some other Cubans went to Russia at the end of July from their home in Havana. They were offered job opportunities in construction.
‘Everyone was tricked,’ she said.
She showed pictures of her son on her phone to the reporters. Some of the pictures showed him wearing military clothes.
She said that her son told her he agreed to go to Russia because he wanted to financially support the family. The island is going through tough times economically, with people not having enough of certain things.
I’m not sure if my son is alive. She said we have no knowledge about anything. I want to have a conversation with him.
In Russia, people from other countries can join the army if they sign an agreement with the defense ministry.
Starting from September 2022, foreigners who have spent a year serving in the Russian army can apply for Russian citizenship in an easier way, without needing to get a residency permit beforehand.
Russian media recently reported that the government is not allowing Tajik people to become citizens until they sign a contract with the defense ministry and join the army.