A investigation by journalist Claudia Padrón Cueto published by CubaNet documented this Tuesday 11 cases of Cubans sent by Russian authorities to Uzbekistan between March and September 2026, with none of them being informed of their destination or receiving written confirmation of the procedure applied.
All the affected individuals interviewed agreed that they expected to be repatriated to Cuba and only realized they had been transferred to a third country upon landing in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. According to the investigation, "the 11 agreed on one point: they had not consented to this destination nor had they been informed."
The most detailed case is that of María Antonia Pérez Salazar, 73 years old, who arrived at Tashkent International Airport on August 1 without money, without a phone, and with her belongings in a single bag.
The Russian authorities had escorted her to the plane without explaining where they were taking her. Her daughter Niosly was still detained in Russia, and her three grandchildren were placed under the care of social services. According to CubaNet, the woman thought for the first time that she could die there "without anyone in her family even knowing."
For several days, María Antonia wandered through the airport terminal, slept in waiting chairs, and fed on the only meal a day provided by the Uzbek immigration authorities, without being formally in their custody.
On the third day, she met a young Cuban in a similar situation, who took her to a hostel in Tashkent that has become a gathering point for Cubans sent there under similar circumstances.
Yalina González Morales, 29 years old and originally from Mayabeque, had a nearly identical experience: she was taken into police custody and placed on a plane bound for Uzbekistan without being able to check her ticket or confirm the route. Her husband Ronniel was still being held in Russia at the time of publication.
CubaNet identified other similar testimonies through Telegram groups of Cubans in Uzbekistan: men and women who did not know each other described the same journey: a raid in Russia, months in immigration custody, and finally, a plane to a country some had never heard of.
The research indicates that the lack of written documents regarding the procedure prevents the determination of which legal figure—administrative deportation, forced expulsion, or another—Russia applied in these transfers.
The situation for those sent to Uzbekistan is particularly precarious because, although the country allows Cubans to enter without a visa for stays of up to 30 days, they arrive as regular tourists, without any protection status or institutional assistance.
A return flight to Cuba from Tashkent, without a direct route, could take over 18 hours and cost between $1,310 and $1,703 last August, an amount out of reach for those who arrived without resources.
The Russian migration tightening worsens the situation: in July 2026, the Duma approved new rules that require foreigners who lose their jobs or do not meet the minimum income to leave the country within 15 days, and the suspension of direct flights between Russia and Cuba since February 2026 has further complicated direct repatriations.
According to CubaNet, neither migration specialists nor consulted human rights organizations were aware of these expulsions of Cubans from Russia to third countries, which underscores the lack of transparency surrounding the transfers.
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