Cuban seamstress Yamidely Cervantes bought a new sewing machine for the first time in years, as well as a refrigerator and a cell phone, all thanks to money sent from Russia.
Cervantes told Reuters that her husband, Enrique Gonzalez, 49, left their home in the village of La Federal on July 19 to fight with the Russian army in Ukraine and, days later, transferred part of his recruitment bonus to around US$2,040 (R$10,290) he received.
This amount is equivalent to more than 100 times Cuba’s average monthly salary, around US$17, according to Cuba’s National Office of Statistics and Information.
La Federal is a community of around 800 people on the outskirts of Havana, where one in four residents is unemployed, according to government data in 2022.
On a 100-meter dirt road where Cervantes lives, at least three men have left for Russia since June.
“I think we ended up like this, with one hand you can count those who stayed,” said the 42-year-old woman as she looked out onto the street from a small terrace. “Need is what’s forcing this.”
Reuters tracked the stories of these four men, along with more than a dozen Cubans who were recruited to come to Russia in neighborhoods in and around Havana, from builders and shopkeepers to refinery and telephone company workers.
In total, 11 of the men ended up going to Russia, while seven others refused.
Interviews with many of the men, as well as other friends and family, along with a mountain of WhatsApp messages, travel documents, photographs and phone numbers, corroborated their accounts, as they painted the most detailed picture yet of how Cubans are doing. rallying to support Russia’s armed forces.
The Kremlin and the Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to questions about the recruitment of Cubans into the armed forces. The Cuban government also did not respond to questions asked for this report.
News of Cubans in the Russian military made headlines this month when the government of Cuba, a longtime Russian ally, arrested 17 people involved in a human trafficking ring that sought to take residents to fight in Moscow.
Cuba reiterated that it “is not part of the war in Ukraine”.
The recruits identified by Reuters volunteered to go to Russia to work for the army after receiving offers on social media from a recruiter who identified herself as “Dayana”.
In La Federal, for example, the nine recruits identified by Reuters signed up to fight in the war. In Alamar, a community east of Havana, most of the five men enlisted for non-combat roles such as construction, packing supplies and logistics.
Cervantes’ husband, Gonzalez, who spoke by video call from a Russian military base outside the city of Tula, south of Moscow, said he was one of 119 Cubans training there. When he arrived in Russia, he said he had signed a contract translated into Spanish to work with the military.
“Everyone who came here knew what they were coming for. That they were coming to war,” he said, smiling, dressed in military uniform, as he showed Reuters images of the camp.
Gonzalez added that the 119 Cubans were being trained to fight in the war, although it was not yet clear where they would be sent.
“I have several friends who are there for Ukraine, yes, they are where the bombs are falling, but not in confrontation with the Ukrainians,” he added.
Reuters was unable to contact any of the other men who joined the army, although it confirmed via WhatsApp and photos that they had flown to Russia and two are now in Crimea.
Contacted for comment on the recruitment of Cubans into the Russian army, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said he could “confirm that the Ukrainian embassy in Havana has been in contact with the Cuban authorities regarding this issue.” .
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment, while a US State Department spokesman said Washington was closely monitoring the situation.
“We are deeply concerned by reports alleging that young Cubans were deceived and recruited to fight for Russia,” the spokesperson said.
Dayana
The Cuban recruitment activity, identified by Reuters, began weeks after a decree issued in May by President Vladimir Putin, which allowed foreigners to enlist in the army, hired for a year to receive Russian citizenship through an accelerated process, together with their spouses, children and parents.
In La Federal, news about Army employment began to spread in June, according to neighbors interviewed. Offers to enlist were shared on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and the topic became the talk of the town, with “Dayana” named as the contact.
Cristian Hernandez, 24, smiled when asked how many people had left the village of La Federal. “Almost all of our friends went there,” he said.
Yoan Viondi, 23, who lives a few minutes’ bike ride from the main street, said he knew about 100 people in Villa Maria, a town that includes La Federal, who had been recruited into the Russian conflict since June.
He added that a friend sent him the WhatsApp contact of “Dayana,” a Cuban woman who, he said, bought plane tickets for future recruits. “Dayana” was also mentioned as an important contact by most of the recruits and family members Reuters spoke to.
Cuba is experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades, with long queues even for basic products such as food, fuel and medicine, spurring an exodus of Cubans who have traveled since last year to the United States, Latin America and Europe.
See also: Russia wants place on the UN Human Rights Council
Source: CNN Brasil
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