State Department exposes Cuba’s role in Russia’s war on Ukraine
State Department reveals Cuba's role in the war against Ukraine (Photo: Getty Images)
The US State Department has informed Congress that Cuba provided up to 5,000 fighters for the war against Ukraine on Russia's side, reports Axios.
Havana allegedly provided diplomatic and political support to Moscow. Thus, the US is directly stating that the Cuban regime is involved in supplying troops to the Russian army.
"The public record does not prove Havana officially dispatched all Cuban fighters. However, there are significant indicators that the regime knowingly tolerated, enabled, or selectively facilitated the flow," according to the unclassified US State Department report.
It is also reported that the Cuban regime failed to protect its citizens from being used in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
According to the media, the US foreign policy agency's report comes as the White House has stepped up its campaign of pressure on Cuba to achieve a change of leadership in Havana.
"Cuban nationals have emerged as one of the largest identifiable groups of foreign fighters supporting Russian military operations in Ukraine," says the report, sent to key congressional committees on April 8.
Estimates vary, but most open-source information suggests that between one thousand and 5,000 Cuban citizens are fighting in Ukraine at any given time.
Cuba's role in the war in Ukraine
In October of last year, Forbes wrote that Russia had begun actively replenishing its frontline losses with Cuban citizens.
Axiod, citing Ukrainian intelligence, claimed that up to 25,000 Cubans could be fighting on Russia's side. The journalists also clarified that it is more advantageous for Russia to recruit foreigners for the war, as their deaths would not cause discontent among Russians.
Russia recruited up to 15,000 Cuban citizens for the war against Ukraine. However, the enemy's main goal behind such actions is not military but propaganda-related.
