Intelligence has identified more than a thousand Cuban mercenaries in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has identified more than a thousand Cuban citizens who have signed contracts with the Russian armed forces.
However, the actual number of foreigners involved in the aggression against Ukraine could be ten times higher.
Andriy Chernyak, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate, reported that the total number of Cuban troops in the Russian army is currently estimated to be between 10,000 and 15,000.
Most of them ended up on the front lines due to financial hardship or through outright deception by recruiters.
Ukrainian intelligence does not consider these mercenaries a significant factor capable of changing the course of hostilities in Moscow’s favor.
“We do not view Cuban mercenaries as a separate military force capable of influencing the battlefield,” Andriy Chernyak emphasized in comments to journalists.
According to the GUR representative, the Kremlin uses Cuban citizens primarily as a propaganda tool.
This allows the Russian authorities to create the illusion of international support for their actions among the domestic audience and on the foreign policy stage.
Andriy Chernyak added: “They use this in the political arena, for the domestic audience. They are trying to show that Russia is not the aggressor, but that other countries—let’s say, of the civilized world—also support Russia’s ideas and plans.”
Official Havana declares mercenary activity unacceptable, yet Russia continues to view the island as a zone of its strategic interests.
Recruiting foreigners helps the Kremlin avoid another wave of open mobilization among its own population.
As a reminder, mercenaries from Africa received Russian passports for serving in the Russian Federation in the war against Ukraine.
Additionally, the number of Belarusian mercenaries in the Russian army has increased nearly 100-fold.
