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Currently, more than 150 Cubans are studying at Russian universities with the aim of "modernizing" the railway system on the island.
According to the Minister of Transportation, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, in a post on his Facebook account, the program is part of an intergovernmental agreement between Cuba and Russia aimed at training engineers specialized in railway transport, rolling stock maintenance, railway infrastructure, telecommunications, and automation.
According to the provided data, 98 students are pursuing degrees at institutions such as the Russian University of Transport (MIIT) and the St. Petersburg State University of Communications, while 57 employees from the Cuban railway system are undertaking master's degrees and technical training in the Eurasian country.
Rodríguez specified that the specialties include Engineering in Railway Transport Operations, Engineering in Railway Rolling Stock, Engineering in Railway Tracks, Engineering in Automation and Telematics, and Railway Telecommunications, all aligned with the needs of the national railway system.
The minister stated that cooperation with Russia aims to "ensure the technical and professional turnover" in a sector that he described as strategic for the national economy.
It also highlighted that the program will expand in the coming years to include training courses and internships for managers and specialists connected to railway transportation.
However, he avoided referring to the critical current state of the Cuban railway system, marked by years of neglect, a lack of parts, constant derailments, and services that operate intermittently.
The minister emphasized that students receive combined financial support: stipends from the Russian side and financial assistance from the Cuban government to cover accommodation, food, and other expenses.
According to him, the training will promote the modernization of railway transport "in the medium term."
However, in practice, the deterioration of the Cuban railway system is profound: aging locomotives, tracks in poor condition, and trains frequently suspended reflect the State's inability to maintain an infrastructure that was once a symbol of progress in earlier times.
In recent years, Russia has strengthened its ties with the Cuban regime through training programs and scholarships aimed at hundreds of young people from the island.
This backing includes financial support, housing, and a technical cooperation strategy that the government of Havana presents as part of its modernization plan in key sectors, including rail transport and energy.
In various stages, the sending of Cuban students to Russian universities has been promoted as an opportunity for professional advancement, although in practice it is part of the political and economic agreements that Moscow maintains with the Cuban government.
The scholarships cover specialties in engineering, automation, technology, and telecommunications—strategic areas in which Russia seeks to exert influence through technical and educational assistance.
Recently, Russian authorities expanded access for international students, including a growing number of Cubans arriving in the Eurasian country under state agreements.
This exchange, framed as academic cooperation, reinforces Cuba's dependence on Russia and consolidates an alliance that transcends the educational sphere to sustain the Cuban state apparatus.
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