The Russian Consulate General in Havana sent an official letter to Yaritza González Turcas informing her of the alleged death of her brother Yusbel González Turcas, a Cuban citizen who is actually alive and in Ukrainian captivity since the summer of 2025.
Thus reported the Ukrainian voluntary surrender program "I Want to Live" (Хочу Жить), which shared on its social media the letter sent by Russian authorities to the family of the Cuban citizen.
The document, signed on July 14 by Alexei Nekrasov, acting general consul of Russia in Havana, bears the registration number 9 and states: "We regret to inform you that we have received a notification of your brother's passing, Yusbel González Turcas, during the Special Military Operation in Ukraine. We extend our sincerest condolences."
González Turcas, born on July 31, 1973, was recruited by the Russian army and sent to the front lines in Kupyansk, eastern Ukraine, where he was used as an "opener": a term that Russian forces use to refer to foreign soldiers sent in first to attack, prompting the enemy to open fire and reveal their positions.
This inhumane tactic is known as "meat assault" (мясные штурмы) or "meat grinder," a term that describes the military strategy of sending massive and constant waves of soldiers into almost suicidal frontal attacks, wearing down the enemy at the cost of a massive number of its own casualties.
The publication of "I Want to Live" included a video as proof of life of the captured mercenary. "My name is Yusbel González Turcas. I was born on July 31, 1973, I am from Cuba and I am currently in prisoner of war camp number one," says the prisoner.
According to Ukrainian authorities and the Russian records hacked by the intelligence of that country, less than 30 days passed from the signing of the contract to the capture of González Turcas, highlighting the limited training that Russia provides to foreign mercenaries before deploying them into combat.
Despite the fact that González Turcas has been in captivity for more than a year, the Russian Ministry of Defense has him officially registered as deceased. During this time, the Cuban has given multiple interviews and has received visits from representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who have also delivered letters from his family,
Her sister Yaritza tried to negotiate with the Russian authorities for her brother's inclusion in the prisoner exchange lists, but she received systematic rejections.
"Her sister, trying to include her brother in the exchange lists of the Russian authorities, only received vague responses, as the Russian Ministry of Defense simply acknowledged him as deceased," noted "Quiero Vivir" in their post.
The Ukrainian program addressed its complaint directly to the Russian embassy in Havana: "We are publishing this video with Gonzales specifically for the staff of the Russian embassy in Havana. You are responsible for those you recruited and sent to their deaths."
The case falls within a documented pattern of dual institutional abandonment: Moscow administratively erases captured foreign mercenaries to avoid negotiating their exchange, while the Cuban regime maintains complete silence and does not formally notify the families.
On its part, Havana has not released any official figures regarding Cubans recruited, killed, or held captive in Ukraine.
"Quiero Vivir" has identified at least 1,028 Cubans in the ranks of the Russian army, with 93 confirmed deaths by name as of January 2026.
Other documented cases of abandonment include Jonathan Lázaro González Cosme, Yoan Viondi Mendoza, and José Antonio Ramón Garcias (?), whose families in Cuba have also not received a response from Cuban or Russian authorities.
According to data from the Ukrainian project, 42% of the foreign mercenaries recruited by Russia die within the first four months after signing a contract, a statistic that reflects the systematic use of these men as cannon fodder on the front lines.
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