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Cuban citizens in irregular migratory situations are being detained in Moscow and sent to the Sájarovo deportation center, about 70 kilometers from the Russian capital, where they remain incarcerated indefinitely without the ability to communicate with their families or the Cuban consulate, according to reports spread on April 2 by the Telegram channel "Ostorozhno Novosti," based on testimonies from relatives of the detainees.
The reports indicate that for several months now, Russian authorities have intensified checks on the immigration status of Cuban citizens, and those with documentary issues are taken directly to that detention center without the possibility of external contact.
The documented cases reveal the severity of the situation: at least one Cuban spent 71 days detained in Sájarovo, and two others were deported after over six months of confinement in that same center.
The deportation of Cubans from Russia has become a logistically complex process, exacerbated by the suspension of direct flights between the two countries. Since February 2026, the Russian airlines Rossiya and Nordwind have canceled their routes to Cuba due to a shortage of aviation fuel at the island's airports, which necessitates conducting expulsions with a stopover in Istanbul, increasing costs and prolonging the process.
The deputy of the State Duma Mijaíl Matveev reacted on April 3 to this information in statements to Gazeta.ru, asserting that he has no knowledge of any actions specifically aimed at Cubans. "I don't have that information, to tell the truth, that any special action is being carried out specifically to detain Cubans," declared the parliamentarian.
However, Matveev promised to send a parliamentary request to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs to investigate the matter and called for caution in handling these migrants. "In my opinion, Cuban migrants are, in a way, more aligned with Russia than those from Central Asia," he argued, adding that "the current situation regarding Cuba requires caution when taking such measures."
The deputy also suggested that authorities should analyze the causes of immigration violations before taking action: "We need to understand what is causing the violation of immigration laws. If it is related to some humanitarian issue, then we need to be more cautious."
The tightening of Russian immigration policies has clear precedents. Since February 2025, Russia has implemented a new regime requiring biometrics, drug tests, knowledge of the Russian language, and medical certificates to regularize immigration status, and reduced the visa-free stay period from 90 days within six months to 90 days within one year. Furthermore, it authorized deportation without prior trial with re-entry bans of up to ten years. In 2024, Russia deported over 80,000 foreigners, nearly double that of 2023.
The situation of Cubans in Russia is accumulating tragedies. On January 27, 2026, four Cubans died in a fire at an illegal hostel in Balashikha, near Moscow, where they were living in precarious conditions. Ukrainian intelligence also reported the presence of over 1,076 Cubans in the ranks of the Russian army, with at least 96 dead or missing, in a recruitment phenomenon described as deceptive and coercive that dates back to 2023.
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