Silent Grief: Cuban Families Mourn Loved Ones Lost in Ukraine, Ignored by Their Government

The Cuban government remains eerily silent about the deaths of 54 Cuban citizens who fought as mercenaries in the Russian army in Ukraine, while openly honoring 32 others who died in Venezuela serving the personal guard of the ousted dictator Nicolás Maduro.

This displays the stark double standards of Miguel Díaz-Canel's regime—offering official mourning for some while completely forgetting others—highlighting once again the harshness with which Havana manages the life and death of its own citizens.

Data from the Ukrainian center Хочу Жить ("I Want to Live") lists 54 Cubans killed in action, providing details such as names, ranks, military units, and dates of death.

Most belonged to motorized regiments of the Russian army deployed in Donbass, having signed contracts in 2024 when Vladimir Putin's invasion escalated. They lost their lives in battles unrelated to Cuba or its people.

The profile of those fallen challenges the myth of young adventurers. Analysis shows the average age was 41.7 years. Only three were under 25, while eight were over 56, meaning Russia even used men who could have been grandfathers.

Among them were workers, ex-military personnel, and fathers who left behind young children and elderly parents in Cuba. Today, Cuba exports not only doctors and athletes but also the poverty and desperation of its men, turned into cannon fodder for a foreign war.

The Stark Contrast in Official Treatment

The difference in official treatment is insulting. Just a day before the Ukrainian list was revealed, the Cuban government honored the remains of 32 Cubans who were part of Maduro's personal guard and died during the U.S. operation that captured the former Venezuelan dictator on January 3.

State media labeled them "internationalist heroes," and Díaz-Canel declared two weeks of national mourning, with public ceremonies and flags at half-mast.

In contrast, there was no moment of silence, no news report, not even humanitarian acknowledgment for the 54 deceased in Ukraine. No authority has confirmed whether their bodies will be repatriated or if their families will receive the compensation promised by Moscow, up to 5 million rubles per combat death (around $55,000).

All indications suggest that families have received nothing, nor will they get help from the Cuban state, which pretends not to know that hundreds of its citizens were recruited by Russia through labor trafficking networks.

Government Silence and Its Implications

The government fears admitting what is already public: that Havana tolerated or covered up the recruitment of Cubans for Putin's war, violating international treaties and exposing its citizens to war crimes.

Thus, it remains silent. It prefers denial, erasing names, and leaving families in the dark rather than accepting its responsibility.

Behind each name on that list lies a broken story. A mother awaiting news, a child asking about their father, a wife unable to bury her husband. In the neighborhoods of Villa Clara, Matanzas, or Santiago de Cuba, these families mourn quietly, aware that the state that pushed them into exile or to the front lines also denies them the right to publicly grieve.

The regime's silence is not merely a political strategy; it's a demonstration of power: in Cuba, even pain is controlled from above. While Havana declares official mourning for Maduro's dead, the families of those lost in Ukraine exist in oblivion, without justice, without bodies, and without solace.

In this foreign war, Cuba has not only lost 54 lives. It has lost its dignity, compassion, and voice.