Cuban Casualties in Ukraine Conflict: 39 Names Released

On May 8, 2025, a Telegram channel managed by the Ukrainian government disclosed the names of 39 Cuban citizens who lost their lives while serving in the Russian military during its invasion of Ukraine. This announcement was timed to precede the Victory Day parade in Moscow by a day, marking the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany's surrender to Soviet Marshal Zhukov.

The channel, known in Spanish as "Quiero vivir" (I Want to Live), provided a list of deceased foreign soldiers whose identities they had gathered. The nationalities listed—Syria, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Serbia, Turkmenistan, and Cuba—mirror those of leaders who attended the Moscow parade. Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel was present at the event, accompanied by his wife, Lis Cuesta, who holds no official government position.

"Will these countries' leaders dare to remind Putin of their citizens, those whom Russia recruits without consequence for war, only to forget once they perish or are captured? Are they willing to safeguard their peoples' lives? Or will they continue to ignore Russia's actions against their nationals?" expressed the "Quiero Vivir" project in a statement. This Ukrainian state initiative offers information on prisoners of war, missing soldiers, and the deceased from the Russian army in Ukraine.

The project has identified more than 600 deaths from the countries mentioned, though this does not represent the total number of foreign soldiers killed in the invasion. According to the project, even the Russian Ministry of Defense likely lacks precise figures. From April 1 to May 2025, "Quiero Vivir" has released the names of 5,204 foreign mercenaries, including 1,028 Cubans, nearly one-fifth of the total.

Not all soldiers listed hail from nations within Putin's sphere of influence. Other countries, such as Sri Lanka, have also suffered significant losses. Additionally, the independent outlet elTOQUE has verified some names and details from the released list. This was partly possible because some deaths had been previously reported by independent media.

For instance, Raibel Palacio Herrera died on January 12, 2024, and young boxer Yansiel Morejón Díaz lost his life on December 28, 2023. The outlet also found matches between names on the list and reports in Russian local media, such as the case of Eduardo Montero Martínez from Cienfuegos.

The oldest individual on the list is Reinerio Robles, who died at 62 in 2024, while the youngest, Juan Raúl Pedroso, perished on June 21, 2024, at 23. The list of 39 names is not comprehensive. For example, it does not account for Michael Valido, a 31-year-old from San Miguel del Padrón, Havana, who died in 2023 while fighting for the Russian side in the Ukraine war.

International media and independent press investigations have uncovered additional deaths that remain uncounted. There are also known cases of other soldiers whose families have chosen not to disclose their deaths publicly.

Below is the list of the 39 deceased Cubans, including their birth dates, dates of death, and Russian army identification numbers:

1- Alexei Aldana Aguilar (08/31/1981–04/03/2024 - AB-305924)
2- Raúl Alemán Morales (01/02/1971–02/23/2024 - AB-009754)
3- Maikel José Baró García (07/25/1996–05/03/2024 - AB-305116)
4- Alfredo Borrero Leyva (12/02/1979–08/31/2024 - AB-305892)
5- Alexander Sergueevich Bykov (09/19/1994–12/11/2024 - AB-286716)
6- Iván Guy Camacho (09/15/1965–01/05/2024 - AB-286543)
7- Reinerio Roble Valencia (03/04/1962–05/22/2024 - AB-305890)
8- Yismel Dieguez Reyes (06/23/1998–04/14/2024 - AB-009710)
9- Reinaldo Izaguirre Cruz (09/14/1991–09/19/2024 - MT-815907)
10- Luis Antonio Cabrera Pérez (09/09/1996–06/27/2024 - AB-305197)
11- Osmani López Martínez (02/15/1982–06/13/2024 - AB-305889)
12- Alejandro López Tamayo (06/20/1993–12/13/2024 - AB-305186)
13- Maikel Márquez Llopis (01/22/1991–04/30/2024 - AB-305211)
14- Lázaro Rafael Martínez Sánchez (12/17/1994–11/15/2023 - MT-815989)
15- Eduardo Montero Martínez (07/01/1978–11/02/2023 - MT-910589)
16- Lester Pichardo Mora (09/04/1986–03/23/2024 - MT-815954)
17- Yansiel Morejón Díaz (06/04/1995–12/28/2023 - MT-815956)
18- Andy Olano Montano (05/06/1979–08/05/2024 - AB-306907)
19- Pedro Antonio Ortiz García (07/14/1965–01/17/2024 - AB-305922)
20- Camilo Antonio Ochoa de Moreno (08/08/1987–05/25/2024 - AB-305170)
21- Raibel Palacio Herrera (07/10/1998–01/12/2024 - AB-288141)
22- Juan Raúl Pedroso Barrios (09/01/2000–06/21/2024 - AB-305886)
23- Lázaro Aramis Pérez Rodríguez (10/17/1968–02/14/2024 - AB-009875)
24- Yoel Alcides Pérez Santiesteban (08/01/1979–05/09/2024 - AB-286643)
25- Andruy Pérez Pérez (11/25/1981–07/22/2024 - AB-307107)
26- Reumberto Placencia Reyes (01/21/1967–05/13/2024 - AB-909046)
27- Isaac Reyes Hinojosa (10/13/1994–12/01/2024 - MT-939789)
28- Luis Ángel Rodríguez López (08/23/1973–01/04/2024 - AB-009641)
29- Enandis Rodríguez de Los Santos (09/19/1979–02/28/2024 - AB-009554)
30- Ismael Sáez Gómez (01/19/1995–02/03/2024 - AB-305090)
31- Mario Alberto Céspedes Pérez (03/05/1982–05/24/2024 - AB-305147)
32- Ángel Luis Soneira López (12/20/1971–06/18/2024 - MT-815916)
33- Lázaro Zúñiga Hernández (02/18/1967–02/22/2024 - AB-286652)
34- Barbaro Alberto Tito De la Cruz (12/06/1982–05/03/2024 - AB-305341)
35- Jorge Luis Toppe Suárez (09/19/1982–04/26/2024 - MT-815798)
36- Jorge Francisco Justo Núñez (04/21/1967–06/27/2024 - AB-306908)
37- Cyron Chamiso Franco (08/03/1988–06/27/2024 - MT-847046)
38- César Orestes Echavarría Díaz (09/15/1997–06/27/2024 - AB-306959)
39- Reinier Pérez Díaz (11/05/1980–02/22/2024 - AB-288129)