The Russian Federation is recruiting Cubans for the war, for them this is the only chance to escape from the island, - Politico
Date: 2023-09-26 Author: Кирило Загоруйко Categories: WAR
Russia is recruiting Cuban citizens to participate in the war against Ukraine. For most of those who agreed to the recruiters' offer, this is simply a way to escape from Cuba itself. Politico writes about this, whose journalists managed to communicate with some Cuban mercenaries.
Thus, the publication gives the example of 19-year-old Cesar, a bartender from Havana, who is barely making ends meet and has already had an unsuccessful attempt to get out of Cuba by boat. Now he will be able to leave the “Island of Freedom” by plane to Moscow, the ticket for which was paid for by a Russian recruiter.
"If this is the sacrifice I have to make for the success of my family, I will do it. You could be a nuclear physicist and still starve here. With my current salary, I can barely buy basic things like toilet paper or milk,” said Cesar and expressed the hope that in the war he would be allowed to be just a paramedic.
Politico also found that not all Cuban recruits are told the truth about what exactly they will have to do at the front. For example, a 40-year-old volunteer named Pedro claims that recruiters promised him a job as a driver - carrying personnel and construction materials in the rear zone. But upon arrival in Russia, he was told that in fact the Cuban would have to fight with weapons in his hands.
“We signed a contract with the devil. But the devil doesn’t give out candy,” admits the man, who will soon be sent to the front.
The publication found out that Russia launched an active recruitment campaign in Cuba at the end of last year. Potential mercenaries are offered a one-year contract with the Russian army and quick legalization in Russia. They are also promised a one-time benefit of $2,000 and a monthly salary of $2,100. Now we are talking about several dozen or hundreds of recruits.
According to experts commenting on the situation, Russia needs the recruitment of foreigners more for propaganda purposes - to show that the world supports aggression against Ukraine. “Without language skills, knowledge of the terrain or adequate preparation for modern warfare, they will be quickly killed and that’s it,” says Pavel Luzin, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).
