Another young Cuban recruited by Russia for the war dies

Andyoung Cuban recruited by Russia for the war he died in thecity of Kherson on Friday following a drone attack launched by Ukraine.

The mother ofRaibel Palacio Herrera he told the channelUnivision that his son, 21 years old and father of two little girls, wasrecruited in November 2023 by the Russian government to supposedly build trenches on the battlefield against Ukraine; But when they arrived at the scene, the victim reported that they had been deceived.

"These people are scamming us. We thought one thing and another came out," said Palacio Herrera through an audio message sent to his wife, with whom he has two girls, one of them a newborn that the young man never met. .

The mother received a WhatsApp message from an alleged Russian general informing her that Palacio Herrera died after being hit by a Ukrainian drone in an attack where another colleague was also seriously injured.

Therussian authorities They assured him that the body would be repatriated to the island, but the family claims that they have not yet contacted the Cuban embassy in Moscow.

The mother says she doesn't know where her son's body is, she explained through tears.

A cousin of the victim added that the alleged contract presented to the recruited young people spoke of alleged money that the family has not seen.

"It's all a lie, please I want those who have to do with the recruitment to get what they deserve, because of them today a family is devastated without news of the culprit of our mourner," he stated in a Facebook post.

On January 10, the death of another Cuban enlisted in the Russian army also emerged. It was about the young boxerYansiel Morejón, 26 years old, another victim of human trafficking between Havana and Moscow.

In September of last year, it was revealed thanks to complaints from relatives that Russia was recruiting young people from the island and sending them to the battle front in Ukraine.

The Havana regime said that it did not support mercenarism and committed to dismantling an alleged smuggling network that involved several Cuban officials and diplomats; but recruitments have continued as demonstrated by the case of Palacio Herrera, who was recruited in November.

Last September, aRussian official confirmed, in statements on condition of anonymity, that there are many Cubans who are on the front as part of international battalions that are 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 PMC , all are under contract with the Ministry of Defense," said the soldier in statements toThe Moscow Times.

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.

"It is possible that Cuban citizens are being recruited due to cost considerations, as they are simply cheaper," said another Russian official interviewed by the outlet in September.The Intercept.

"In addition to salaries, the Russian government is obliged to provide additional compensation in the event 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 It's your nightmare," he concluded.