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A report published by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Truth Hounds, and the International Office of Kazakhstan for Human Rights warns that Cuba and Colombia are leading the Russian recruitment in Latin America, with at least 20,000 Cuban citizens sent to fight in Ukraine since 2023.
The document, titled "Fighters, Mercenaries, or Victims of Human Trafficking?" and cited by Bloomberg, concludes that the Russian recruitment system meets the criteria of the Palermo Protocol on human trafficking by combining deception, coercion, and exploitation in combat.
According to data from Ukrainian military intelligence cited in the report, the recruited Cubans represent "one of the largest foreign contingents in the Russian army," with a peak in enlistment between July and September 2023.
The economic crisis that the island is experiencing —with salaries ranging from 15 to 30 euros per month, blackouts lasting up to 25-30 hours a day, and widespread shortages— makes the Russian offers an especially effective trap.
"With an average salary in Cuba of just 30 euros a month, or even 15 euros according to various estimates, offers of 'easy jobs in fraternal Russia' with a monthly salary of 1,700-2,000 euros seem transformative," the report emphasizes.
The mechanism operates through advertisements in Spanish posted on social media platforms like Facebook, featuring job offers for civilian positions such as construction workers, warehouse staff, or security guards.
Candidates are recruited by Cuban intermediaries and taken to Russia, where they sign military contracts written entirely in Russian without understanding their content.
A Cuban prisoner of war interviewed by Truth Hounds, whose identity was protected, explained candidly his motivation: "Well, first of all, to leave Cuba; this is what every Cuban wants, you know, to get out of Cuba. In Cuba, money and life are a mess. There are millions of Cubans on the front lines, and I saw them, and it's not for nothing."
The average survival time after deployment is just 150 days, and the Ukrainian project I Want to Live confirmed 93 Cubans dead as of January 2026.
The Cuban government officially denies its involvement, although multiple reports indicate state complicity or active tolerance, and the U.S. State Department suggested Cuban government facilitation in a report from April 2026.
In Colombia, the presence of fighters in Russian ranks was confirmed in October 2025 by the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence.
A report by El Espectador cited in the document revealed that two retired colonels from the National Army lead the company Global Qowa Al Basheria SAS, from where they recruit former Colombian military personnel offering salaries between 2,200 and 2,500 euros per month and an initial payment of approximately 17,000 euros.
"Several families identified a supposed former military officer as the initial point of contact, offering security jobs that later ended up with transfers to Russia for enlistment in the military," the document states.
At the end of 2025, an intercepted audio recording was also released in which individuals identified as Colombian fighters apparently order the execution of civilians.
In Brazil and Argentina, the report does not identify systematic patterns but rather isolated cases, such as that of a Brazilian citizen recruited through LinkedIn with a technological offer that turned out to be a military contract.
The European Parliament condemned the recruitment of Cubans for the Russian invasion in July 2025, and Russia reaffirmed its military alliance with the Cuban regime in October of that same year.
According to Ukrainian intelligence cited in the report, Russia plans to recruit an additional 18,500 foreigners before the end of 2026, which foreshadows a deepening of the phenomenon reported by human rights organizations.
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