The leader of the Cuba Decide project cited a report presented by Ukrainian authorities that estimates the number of Cubans currently fighting in the Russian ranks at 20,000.
MIAMI- The Cuban opponent and US commissioner at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Rosa María Payá, denounced in your X account that thousands of Cuban citizens have been recruited by Russia to fight in the war against Ukraine. Payá described this operation as “an extreme example of forced labor and modern slavery,” and assured that it could not occur without the direct participation of the authorities of the Cuban regime.
During her statements, the activist addressed the human drama behind this reality: Cuban families who do not know the whereabouts of their children, husbands or brothers sent to the Russian front, without the possibility of claiming the bodies of the deceased or obtaining information about their fate. The commissioner noted that death awaits them from the moment they sign these contracts, without any training or protection.
The project leader Cuba Decides cited a report presented by Ukrainian authorities that estimates the number of Cubans currently fighting in the Russian ranks at 20,000. According to the document, at least 250 of them remain obliged to continue fighting even though their contracts have already expired. “All the requirements are met to talk about forced labor and modern slavery,” Payá stressed, adding that “the magnitude of this operation, sustained for more than two years, could not be developed without the consent of the Cuban regime.”
Payá’s statements come after a virtual briefing on national security organized by US Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), in which advisors to the Ukrainian Government and legislators from kyiv revealed the details of this recruitment.
During the meeting, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s advisor on sanctions, Vladyslav Vlasyuk, assured that his country has physically identified more than 1,000 Cuban mercenaries and specified that the average age of those recruited is around 35 years. According to the data presented, Cubans receive an average salary of 2,000 dollars per month, but the majority die between 140 and 150 days after signing the contract; some even a few days after arriving at the front.
The materials displayed by Ukrainian authorities include letters and complaints from Cuban relatives, employment contracts and court cases in Russia that demonstrate the extent of the recruitment. In one of the examples, the contract of a Cuban woman dated January 13, 2025, for 195,000 rubles per month, and the criminal proceedings against the recruiter Yelena Smirnova, accused of defrauding the salaries of between 300 and 400 Cubans, are cited.
Payá also questioned the position of the European Union, which asks for support for Ukraine while continuing to finance the Cuban dictatorship, an ally and accomplice of Russia. He demanded that the EU suspend any economic or political cooperation with the Havana regime.
In the last year, the Cuban Democratic Directorate, led by Orlando Gutiérrez-Boronat, has developed an intense international campaign to make this situation visible. The group has filed complaints with international organizations and has provided testimonies from mercenaries, contributing to these stories coming to light and the human dimension of the drama becoming known.
