The young Cuban who 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 publication on Facebook of CiberCuba: "Don't talk nonsense, I have been in Russia since 2024. Don't associate what I post with my life; social media is one thing and personal life is another. That’s 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 an airplane with the message "I can leave, but I will always come back," but that content does not suffice to establish that he was then emigrating to Russia for the first time.
Saroza Ruiz now claims that she has been living in that country since 2024.
The information is consistent with other previous publications from the young person. In April, he shared an ultrasound seemingly conducted in a Russian-speaking medical setting and dated November 2025.
Your response, however, does not address the military publications that prompted CiberCuba's investigation.
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/she explained publicly the reasons behind his/her decision: «Sometimes there are not many options, and one has to go for the first one available, even if it is the riskiest of all».
According to what he said, he was doing it thinking "about 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 Saroza Ruiz's situation.
A Cuban identified on Facebook as Esneidi Matos, whose profile indicates he lives in Moscow, claimed that the young man already had Russian citizenship before joining the military.
«He is in the Russian ranks of his own volition; a Russian citizen before picking up a weapon,» Matos mentioned in the comments. CiberCuba has not been able to independently verify that claim. At the time of publishing this note, Saroza Ruiz has not responded to the comment request sent by this editorial team.
If confirmed, it would better explain his previous trajectory in the country and would also require a clarification of his legal situation within the Russian forces.
"It's my decision."
The post also sparked reactions from several Cubans residing in Russia who insisted on the same argument: not all foreigners who end up fighting are doing so through deception or coercion.
The most significant testimony was from Yudanis Ramírez, who stated that he lives in Ryazan and confirmed that he is currently on his second contract.
"I will be moving into my fifth month of the second contract, one with the Russian Federation and this one with Русб [...] no one has the right to judge my decisions, it's 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 occur: “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 complete 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.
Riazan, where he claims to reside, does appear since 2023 in reports and investigations regarding the recruitment of Cubans by Russian forces. There, points for selecting foreigners and the presence of groups of citizens from the Island prior to their military incorporation were documented.
Another Cuban whose profile places him in Ryazan, Carlos Javier Pérez Moreira, joined the discussion with a similar statement: “Those who go to war do so of their own volition.”
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 deceptions, false job offers, pressures, or conditions different from those promised before ending up in the war.
Both realities are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
Available research has shown very different profiles among the foreigners recruited by Russia: some claim to have been deceived, while others acknowledge that they consciously accepted military contracts for money, residency, citizenship, or other reasons.
Even among the reactions to the publication by CiberCuba, the human cost of those decisions emerged. 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 nor verify the circumstances of his alleged death.
The response from Saroza Ruiz 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 residing there since 2024.
What is 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 framed his decision as a risky bet linked to the well-being of his family.
The subsequent reactions add another piece to the phenomenon: some Cubans residing in Russia openly claim that their incorporation is voluntary and even describe ways to process contracts once on Russian soil.
To what extent this mechanism explains the ongoing flow of Cubans towards the Russian forces still requires verification and further evidence.
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