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A 44-year-old Cuban citizen identified by the last names Baños Padrón was arrested on Saturday, March 21, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, accused of murdering another fellow countryman with a stab to the chest during an argument.
According to Russian media that reported on the case, the accused stabbed the victim with a knife, causing a direct injury to the heart.
The incident took place precisely on Starorussky Avenue in Shushary, which is part of the Pushkinsky district of the city.
The unified press service of the courts in St. Petersburg stated: "The accused, while in an area of prospekt Starorussky, stabbed the victim in the chest with a knife, causing an injury to the heart. As a result of the trauma sustained, the victim died."
The victim died at the scene of the incident.
The authorities determined that the attack occurred "in the course of a conflict arising from personal enmity" between the assailant and his acquaintance.
Russian media described that the fury erupted suddenly between the two compatriots.
Last Monday, March 23, the Pushkinsky District Court of St. Petersburg ordered Baños Padrón to be placed in a detention center (SIZO) until May 20 of this year.
The detainee did not oppose the precautionary measure.
The investigation was entrusted to the Main Investigation Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in St. Petersburg.
The charges are brought under part 1 of article 105 of the Russian Penal Code, which classifies simple murder without aggravating circumstances and provides for sentences ranging from 6 to 15 years in prison.
An element that further complicates his legal situation is that Baños Padrón was in Russian territory illegally at the time of the crime.
As of the closure of this note, there are no other details about the case.
Background of violence among Cubans in Russia
This is not the first case of violence among Cubans on Russian soil.
In September 2016, the Cuban Rafael Bautista de la Vega García killed another compatriot in Saratov and was .
In 2020, the Cuban regime denied his request for transfer to serve his sentence in Cuba, according to reporting from CiberCuba at the time.
In addition to violence among Cubans, citizens of the island have increasingly become involved in other types of crimes.
In February of this year, Hugo Alberto Formes Romero, just 20 years old, was in prison for attempted illegal drug distribution.
The case occurs in the context of tightening immigration policies in Russia.
Although since December 2018 Cuban citizens can enter without a visa and stay for up to 90 days within a 180-day period, many exceed that timeframe without regularizing their status.
In 2024, Russia deported more than 80,000 foreigners, double the amount in 2023.
Since February 2025, a new migration regime that threatens illegal Cubans has been in effect, requiring biometrics, drug tests, knowledge of the Russian language, and medical certificates to regularize migratory status.
In March 2025, Russian authorities detained 17 Cubans in Krasnodar for illegal stay and deported them to Cuba.
In July of that same year, another 15 Cuban migrants were expelled from the regions of Tatarstan and Vladimir.
In January of this year, four Cubans lost their lives in a fire inside a hostel in Russia, highlighting the precarious conditions in which many compatriots live in that country.
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