Cuba’s foreign ministry announced on Monday, the 4th of September, the discovery of a human trafficking network that forced Cuban citizens to join the Russian army in the Ukraine war, adding that Cuban authorities were actively working to “neutralise and dismantle” the network, reports news agency Reuters.
The foreign ministry statement did not give specific details but said that the human trafficking network operated from Russia, both in the Caribbean island nation and in Russia itself, and that the trafficking network had enlisted Cuban citizens in the military forces taking part in the war operations in Ukraine.
Monday’s statement said that such attempts had been neutralised and
criminal proceedings had been initiated against those involved.
At the end of May, a Russian newspaper in Ryazan city reported that Cuban citizens had signed contracts with the Russian armed forces and had been sent to Ukraine in exchange for Russian citizenship. It is not known whether the Cuban Foreign Ministry’s statement is related to this.
The Russian government has not commented on the allegations.
Last year Russia announced a plan to increase its troop numbers by more than 30% to 1.5 million soldiers. Russia does not disclose the number of war casualties.
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