Cuban Government Accused of Complicity in Large-Scale Trafficking of Fighters to Russia

A recently released report from Berlin on Wednesday exposes the extensive involvement of Cuban citizens in Russia's war against Ukraine, implicating the Cuban government in a significant human trafficking operation for military purposes.

Named “Cuba in the Ukraine War: Evidence of Mass Recruitment of Fighters for Russia,” this report was prepared by the organization Citizenship and Freedom, led by Cuban activist Carolina Barrero, in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF).

The findings draw upon Ukrainian intelligence sources, international media, and firsthand accounts.

Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) estimates that up to 25,000 Cubans have been recruited to fight for the Russian army, positioning Cuba among the top foreign force suppliers for Russia, a status shared only with North Korea.

The report outlines how recruits are enticed by the promise of monthly contracts worth $2,000, a stark contrast to the average salary of merely $17 on the island.

Upon arriving in Russia, these individuals sign contracts in a language they do not understand, undergo two weeks of training, and are deployed to the most perilous front-line positions, with a life expectancy of only 140 to 150 days.

“Thousands of young Cubans have perished in a war that is not ours. They were deceived, exploited, and used as disposable cannon fodder when they could be fighting alongside other Cubans for freedom,” Carolina Barrero condemned during the Berlin presentation.

The activist accused the Cuban regime of organizing direct flights to Russia for the transport of recruits, despite the strict internal controls on citizens' mobility, demonstrating active collaboration between Havana and Moscow.

While the Cuban government denies involvement, the report emphasizes that regime officials acknowledged in Moscow the “legal participation” of Cubans in the so-called “special military operation.”

“The Cuban regime maintains a policy of deliberate ambiguity: publicly denying involvement while practically facilitating the logistics of recruitment and transport,” the report concludes.

The U.S. Department of State has already classified this operation as a form of state-sponsored human trafficking in its 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report.

The report calls on the international community to impose targeted sanctions, reassess political and economic cooperation agreements with Cuba, and increase coordinated diplomatic pressure on the regime.

“The question for Europe is straightforward: Whose side is Europe on? If the answer is on the side of Ukraine, international law, and human rights, the European Union's foreign policy towards Cuba must change,” the text asserts.

Citizenship and Freedom concludes that the participation of Cubans in the Ukraine war mirrors the historic state labor exploitation model used by the regime to generate revenue at the citizens' expense.

“This is a new chapter in the exploitation of the Cuban people. Their needs are trafficked, their lives are bartered,” Carolina Barrero concluded.