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Social media accounts have been recruiting Cubans to fight for Russia in the war against Ukraine.
By Kiera McLaughlin ’26
Global Editor
In recent months, online personalities have been recruiting Cuban nationals to fight for Russia in the war with Ukraine through platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp. While initially promised money and employment, they are then forced to the front lines of the war upon arriving in Russia, CNN reported.
According to Time magazine, Cuba’s population relies on Russia for economic aid, food and resources. Due to this close partnership, young Cuban men have been pushed to follow the promises from unknown online personalities for stability and money to provide for their families.
According to a CNN interview with one of the recruits’ mothers, her son told her that he encountered dozens of other military-aged men who were recruited to fight in the war effort on the plane ride to Russia. Another Cuban man was recruited with the promise of receiving money in exchange for completing construction work for the Russian military but was instead forced into direct combat, Time magazine reported.
The Cuban government has issued conflicting statements about this recruiting practice. According to CNN, Cuba’s Foreign Ministry declared, “Cuba is not part of the war conflict in Ukraine.” It further explained that “it is acting and will act vigorously against whomever, from the national territory, participates in any form of human trafficking for the purposes of recruitment or mercenarism so that Cuban citizens use weapons against any country.”
This clashes with a statement circulated by Russian media outlets wherein Cuba’s ambassador to Moscow allegedly stated Cuba is not against Cuban citizens’ “legal” participation in Russia’s war unless a third party recruited them, CNN reported. Then, only hours later, the Cuban Foreign Minister restated that Cubans cannot fight abroad under any circumstances.
Suspects that are considered mercenaries or recruiters could face up to 30 years or life in prison in Cuba, and in some cases, the death penalty, AP News reported. The Time magazine article points out that this makes it almost impossible for the recruits to come home due to the Cuban administration’s strict stance against the alleged human trafficking practice that deceives Cubans into fighting for the Russian military.
According to Reuters, Cuban authorities are working to destroy the network of recruiters that are operating in both Russia and Cuba. AP News referenced information from the British Defense Ministry, which claimed that there have also been online ads recruiting for the Russian war effort in other countries, including Armenia and Kazakhstan.