With the ratification, Russia protects “the interests” of its citizens linked to the agreement in “the jurisdiction of the Republic of Cuba”.
Miami, United States. – Russia’s State Duma He ratified on Tuesday The Intergovernmental Military Cooperation Agreement with the Cuban regime – filmed in March in Havana and Moscow – in a movement that strengthens the military alliance between both regimes.
According to the project text presented by the Russian Cabinetthe Duma approved “ratifying the agreement between the government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Cuba on Military Cooperation, signed in the city of Havana on March 13, 2025 and in the city of Moscow on March 19, 2025”.
The explanatory note of the Government before the Parliament adds that the ratification “will guarantee the legal basis necessary to define the objectives, directions and forms of bilateral military cooperation” and – sensitive point – “will guarantee the protection of the interests of the Russian citizens who fulfill tasks within the framework of the implementation of this agreement, in front of the jurisdiction of the Republic of Cuba.”
The medium Rossiyskaya Gazeta It also details that the agreement “contains rules not provided for by Russian legislation, in particular the criminal codes and criminal proceedings and the Code of Administrative Infractions”, and which is applied provisionally from last March 30 until its formal entry in force after the exchange of notifications.
Duma herself spread in its institutional portal that on the same day several agreements were ratified, including Military cooperation with the Cuban governmentalthough without publicly broken down in that note the specific content of the pact with Havana.
After approval in the lower house, the draft ratification was listed on the Federation Council agenda (upper house) as point 5 of 597. Full, a step required before promulgation by the Russian president. In parallel, the Russian parliamentary press (Parliamentskaya Gazeta) record The entrance of the file into the Duma.
The decision occurs when the United States Department of State instructed its diplomatic missions to press against the annual UN resolution that rejects the embargo on Cuba, claiming the presence of between 1,000 and 5,000 Cubans on the Russian side. The internal cable –revealed by Reuters-He states: “After North Korea, Cuba is the largest contributing of foreign troops to the aggression of Russia, with an estimate of 1,000-5,000 Cubans fighting in Ukraine.”
A state department spokesman added by email: “The Cuban regime has not protected its citizens to be used as pawns in the war between Russia and Ukraine.”
What says (and what implies) the agreement, according to the official Russian press
Although the full text of the agreement has not been published in Cuban portals, the Russian official media They consigned key elements:
- The ratification “will protect the interests” of Russian citizens who execute tasks under the agreement in “The jurisdiction of the Republic of Cuba”, a clause that, if confirmed in the final text, would limit the capacity of Cuban courts to process Russian personnel with operational status on the island under this framework.
- The “Contains rules” agreement different from Russian legislation, including criminal, procedural and administrative matters, suggesting exception regimes (for example, personnel status, incident investigation or jurisdiction) during activities derived from military cooperation.
- Provisional application since March 30, 2025: According to the Official Gazette of the Russian Governmentthe instrument has been applied in fact while the internal ratification procedures were completed, and will fully enter into force after the exchange of notifications between the parties.
The ratification comes a day after the head of the General General Staff, Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, will make an official visit to Belarusia —Principal ally of Moscow in the war – to discuss “practical measures” of training, including areas such as electronic war and anti -aircraft, according to the Ministry of Belarusian Defense.
Until the closing of this note, the Russian press has disseminated summaries and appointments of the explanatory note of the Government on the agreement, but not the full text of the instrument, where the status of the personnel, the mechanisms of dispute solution and the operational scope (training, visits of ships, material transfer, etc.) is usually specified.
Also, although the Federation Council has already scheduled the project, It is pending Confirm your vote and presidential promulgation to complete the ratification cycle.
