The young Cuban who in recent months has documented his presence in the Russian ranks on Instagram responded to the investigation published by CiberCuba and revealed his identity along with a detail that helps clarify the timeline of his story.
It is about José Ramón Saroza Ruiz, known on social media as El Sensei, a 24-year-old from Cienfuegos who, according to his Facebook profile, is originally from Arimao and currently resides in Moscow.
Saroza reacted directly to the article's post on Facebook by CiberCuba: "Don't talk nonsense, I have been in Russia since 2024. Do not relate what I post to my life, social media is one thing and one's life is another. And that is where you get confused."
The statement clarifies an aspect of the previous information. A post from Instagram dated April 24, 2026, seemingly showed him aboard a plane with the message: "I can leave, but I will always return," but that content did not establish that he was then emigrating to Russia for the first time.
Saroza Ruiz now claims that she has been residing in that country since 2024.
The information is consistent with previous publications by the young individual. In April, they shared an ultrasound apparently conducted in a Russian-speaking medical setting, dated November 2025.
Your response, however, does not refer to the military publications that prompted the investigation by CiberCuba.
Since June, Saroza Ruiz has repeatedly appeared on Instagram in uniform, with weapons, ammunition, and the Russian flag. Her posts also contain references to the so-called SVO—the Russian acronym used for the invasion of Ukraine—and messages related to the risks of war.
In September, he publicly explained the reasons behind his decision: «Sometimes there aren’t many options, and you have to go for the first one available, even if it’s the riskiest of all».
According to him, he did it thinking "of the well-being of my family".
An unconfirmed piece of information: their possible Russian citizenship
The reactions of other Facebook users to the information published by CiberCuba provided additional clues about the situation of Saroza Ruiz.
A Cuban identified on Facebook as Esneidi Matos, whose profile indicates he lives in Moscow, stated that the young man already had Russian citizenship before joining the military.
"She is in the Russian ranks of her own free will; a Russian citizen before picking up a weapon," Matos stated in the comments. CiberCuba has not been able to independently verify that claim. As of the time of publishing this note, Saroza Ruiz has not responded to the request for comments sent by this editorial team.
If confirmed, it would better explain his previous trajectory in the country and would also require clarifying his legal status within the Russian forces.
"It is my decision."
The post also provoked reactions from several Cubans residing in Russia who insisted on the same argument: not all foreigners who end up fighting do so through deception or coercion.
The most significant testimony was that of Yudanis Ramírez, who states that he lives in Riazán and confirmed that he is under his second contract.
"I am approaching five months of the second contract, one with the Russian Federation and this one with Русб [...] no one has the right to judge my decisions, it is my decision." CiberCuba has not been able to verify the contracts mentioned by Ramírez.
In another comment, the Cuban described how, according to his experience, the process can take place: " Cubans do not need a visa to travel to Russia [...] when they arrive here, they just need to find a military office, and there you start the contract process".
The statement is relevant, but it constitutes the testimony of Ramírez himself and does not allow us to determine how many Cubans have used that route.
Riazán, where he claims to reside, does appear since 2023 in reports and investigations regarding the recruitment of Cubans by Russian forces. There, selection points for foreigners were documented and the presence of groups of citizens from the Island before their military incorporation.
Another Cuban whose profile places him in Ryazan, Carlos Javier Pérez Moreira, participated in the discussion with a similar statement: “Those who go to war do so by their own will.”
However, there are no elements that allow us to assert that Pérez Moreira belonged to the Russian forces.
Not everyone tells the same story
The comments contrast with the testimonies of other Cubans who, over the past three years, have reported deceit, false job offers, pressures or conditions different from those promised before ending up in the war.
Both realities are not necessarily mutually exclusive. The available research has shown very different profiles among the foreigners recruited by Russia: individuals who claim to have been deceived and others who acknowledge having consciously accepted military contracts for money, residency, citizenship, or other reasons.
Even among the reactions to the publication of CiberCuba, the human cost of those decisions became apparent. A user identified as Jorje Dudefaye wrote: "In the end, they kill them like my brother."
CiberCuba has not yet been able to identify the mentioned brother or verify the circumstances of his alleged death.
Saroza Ruiz's response now allows us to clarify her story: The Sensei did not necessarily arrive in Russia weeks before appearing in uniform, but claims to have been living there since 2024.
What remains documented on his own social media is that in 2026 he began to appear armed and in uniform on the Russian side, and he has publicly presented his decision as a risky gamble related to the well-being of his family.
The subsequent reactions add another piece to the phenomenon: some Cubans residing in Russia openly assert that their recruitment is voluntary and even describe ways to process contracts once on Russian territory.
To what extent this mechanism explains the continuous flow of Cubans towards the Russian forces still requires verification and more evidence.
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