A troubling new investigation is shining a harsh spotlight on the Kremlin’s recruitment machine. According to leaked documents obtained by the BBC, Russia is not only offering cash and fast-track citizenship to foreign fighters — it’s allegedly coercing Cuban citizens into joining its war effort in Ukraine.
The revelations paint a stark picture: promises of construction jobs, visas, and stable income quickly replaced with front-line deployment and the threat of exploitation.
$2,000 a Month and a Russian Passport — or the Front Lines
Russia has reportedly been targeting Cubans with offers of $2,000 per month and Russian passports within months of signing military contracts. Since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, hundreds of Cubans are believed to have joined the Russian armed forces, according to leaked recruitment lists published by pro-Ukrainian hackers.
The BBC verified at least 31 Cuban recruits, confirming their identities matched those in the leaked files. Social media posts uncovered during the investigation also suggest that several new recruits received Russian passports soon after signing up — reinforcing earlier local reports that Moscow intends to grant full citizenship “in the future.”
Lured by Construction Jobs, Sent Into War
But not all participants signed up willingly. Some Cuban migrants who traveled to Russia seeking construction work say they were instead forced onto the eastern front in Ukraine.
These claims align with statements from the Cuban government, which revealed in September 2023 that it had uncovered a human-trafficking network designed to funnel Cubans into Russia’s war — a scheme Havana “firmly rejects.”
Kremlin Widening Its Foreign Fighter Net
Cuba is far from Russia’s only target. Moscow is intensifying its efforts to recruit foreign nationals and vulnerable migrant workers to avoid politically explosive mobilization inside Russia. Among the primary recruitment pools: citizens of Nepal, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Somalia, and several other Central Asian and African nations.
As the war drags on, analysts warn that Russia’s reliance on foreign recruits could grow — further exposing desperate migrants to manipulation, exploitation, and deadly combat.