The death of a young Cuban enlisted in the Russian army to participate in the invasion of Ukraine shocked Cuban public opinion this Tuesday, after the case was revealed on social networks.
“They report the death of a Cuban boxer in the Ukrainian war,” said theyoutuber Alain Rodriguez -better known asCuban paparazzi- in a video on his social networks in which he published details of the life and fate of this other young Cuban victim of human trafficking between Havana and Moscow.
In itsvideo, the reporter stated that the family of young Yansiel Morejón, 26 years old, had contacted him to inform him that he had died in Ukraine.
Morejón, a native of Santa Clara, was a decent young man and good person, as described by theyoutuber. The young man, who was a boxer, later became a teacher in Cuba. However, his job did not bring him enough money to live with dignity, which is why he enlisted as a soldier.mercenary in the Russian armed forces.
“He liked music, ‘artistic’, he made songs, he had several video clips,” Rodríguez described the deceased young man. “He let himself be carried away by the siren song, by the $2,000 that [the Russian recruiters] promise,” he lamented.
Morejón's case falls within the context of one of the biggest scandals of the Cuban totalitarian regime, which, despite officially declaring that it does not intervene in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine,has allowed the departure of hundreds of Cuban mercenaries recruited in its territory.
Last September, a Russian officer confirmed, in statements on condition of anonymity, that many Cubans are on the front lines as part of international battalions fighting in the war in Ukraine.
“When I was already behind the tape in the battalion, I was, to put it mildly, in shock: there were only Cubans and Serbs there. Not everyone speaks Russian well. It is not clear how to work with them. And these are not some PMCs, they are all under contract with the Ministry of Defense,” said the military man in statements toThe Moscow Times, a few days after the case of the young Cuban mercenaries Andorf Antonio Velázquez García and Alex Rolando Vega Díaz broke out.
This information was corroborated to the aforementioned media by a Spanish translator who worked with Cuban emigration, who confirmed that there were many Cubans recruited by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
“There are many young people who come here to look for money directly from Cuba. These are not local Cubans, they do not stop in Moscow, they immediately sign a contract and go to fight,” the translator explained to the aforementioned media.
After losing contact, “their relatives look for them through the Cuban diaspora, through social networks, and we have nothing to do with that.Most likely the person has already died”he added.
"It is possible that Cuban citizens are being recruited due to cost considerations,since they are simply cheaper"said a Russian official interviewed in September by the mediaThe Intercept.
“In addition to salaries, the Russian government is obliged to provide additional compensation in case of injury or death of its citizens. However, this responsibility does not extend to Cuban citizens. “When you come here in search of financial gain, your death is your nightmare,” he concluded.
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