{"id":18441,"date":"2023-10-25T07:41:19","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T07:41:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/?p=18441"},"modified":"2023-10-25T12:07:58","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T12:07:58","slug":"cuban-mercenaries-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/cuban-mercenaries-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuban mercenaries continue to join the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces. Evidence of new recruitments of Cuban citizens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ukrainian hacktivists of the Cyber Resistance group collected new evidence of the arrival of Cuban mercenaries signing contracts with the Russian Army. These facts refute the statements of the Cuban authorities about the “blocking” of the channel trafficking mercenaries to the Russian Federation, following the scandal that erupted after the release of our previous investigation. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Let us recall that on September 6, the website of InformNapalm community published the results of an important investigation<\/a> based on materials provided by Cyber Resistance hacktivist group about the participation of two hundred Cuban mercenaries in the war against Ukraine. They were recruited into the ranks of the Russian Army by the Tula draft officer Anton Perevozchikov.<\/p>\n

The feature was translated by our volunteers into 5 languages, and caused an extraordinary outcry.\u00a0 A large number of international media<\/a> referred to this information.<\/p>\n

The Cuban authorities could not ignore the scandal. Therefore, on September 8, the Cuban Foreign Ministry announced that 17 people had been arrested on suspicion of participation in human trafficking. Those arrested face up to 30 years in prison for facilitating mercenarism, which is prohibited by the Cuban law.<\/p>\n

With these arrests, the Cuban authorities tried to quell the scandal and claim that the channel trafficking mercenaries to Russia has been blocked. However, Cuban officials began to make contradicting statements on the participation of the Cuban mercenaries in the war in Ukraine. On September 14, the Cuban ambassador in Moscow stated that his government does not object to its citizens serving in the Russian Army if it is “legal.” However, just a few hours later, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said the exact opposite – that his country prohibits “the participation of Cuban citizens in conflicts of any kind and opposes mercenarism.” This begs a question \u2013 which of these two statements should we believe? And aren\u2019t the Cuban authorities trying to sit on two chairs?<\/p>\n

Hacktivists intercepted new data on the recruitment of Cubans into the Russian Army<\/h2>\n

Cyber Resistance obtained new passport photos of at least 59 more Cubans who arrived in the Russian city of Tula between August 25 and September 29 to sign a contract. Photo copies of all passports of the new group of Cuban mercenaries have been collected into a PDF-file<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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At least 11 of them passed through the Tula military registration and enlistment office after the Cuban authorities announced the arrest of participants in the scheme and the “blocking” of the mercenary trafficking channel.<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, it is worth noting that an analysis of the arrival routes of new mercenaries revealed that not all of them came directly from Cuba. For example, Yannier Hernandez received a passport in 2017 and had been staying in the Russian Federation since at least June 2021.<\/p>\n

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Just like Jorge Francisco Yusto<\/strong> who was already living in Russia at least two weeks before the full-scale invasion.<\/p>\n

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But there is another example – the case of young Yaser Alejandro Paneque Lopez<\/strong> which clearly proves that Cuba has not stopped the flow of mercenaries arriving in the Russian Federation and signing contracts with the Russian Army. This 19-year-old guy dreamed of becoming a photographer, however, the prospect of the Russian citizenship and the illusory, crazy (for a Cuban) earnings promised by Russia for participation in the war against Ukraine turned him into a mercenary.<\/p>\n

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On September 21, on his Instagram page, he posted a boarding pass for the flight No. 556 on the route Varadero (Cuba) – Sheremetyevo, Moscow of the Russian airline Nordwind Airlines.<\/p>\n

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Aeroflot and Nordwind have been operating regular flights on this route since July 2023.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Yasser Lopez loves to take pictures and shoot videos on his phone. Therefore, in addition to the data of his passport, he also posted his Cuban ID document to the public.<\/p>\n

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We hope that Yasser will not forget about his calling and will take detailed photos from the training camp and permanent deployment point of the 106th Airborne Division of the Russian Armed Forces<\/strong> where recruited Cubans are now serving.<\/p>\n

After all, the 106th Airborne Division is gradually turning into the Russian \u201cinternational legion\u201d of sorts. Back in summer, information was spread<\/a> in the media that Russia was also actively recruiting Serbs into the Tula division. Russia is apparently running out of paratroopers, and now this division is gradually becoming a hodgepodge of Serbs and Cubans.<\/p>\n

From the last recorded group of Cubans, the hacktivists obtained confirmations that at least 3 new mercenaries are already in service. The rest may still be going through final registration and are at the stage of signing contracts.<\/p>\n

Yainer Labrada<\/strong>, born January 25, 1985 arrived in Russia no later than September 2, and on September 26 he already published a photo in the Russian military uniform.<\/p>\n

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Jaime Castillo<\/strong>, born September 17, 1985, showing on his social media pages how Russian elite units are turning into mercenary squads.<\/p>\n

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On September 22, he published a photo in a paratrooper’s telnyashka and in new military high-top boots.<\/p>\n

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Likewise, the photo of Barbaro Aties<\/strong>, born December 04, 1990, lying on a bunk bed in military barracks, spots an airborne vest hanging in the upper right corner, and part of camouflage gear, visible in the lower left corner.<\/p>\n

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The flow of mercenaries is not interrupted, so the statements of the Cuban authorities are clearly not sufficient<\/h2>\n

Based on the above facts, the Cuban government’s statements about \u201cending human trafficking\u201d and condemning mercenaries are not sufficient. Yes, there is a criminal case, 17 people were allegedly arrested. However, we still don\u2019t know who these people are and what role they played in the entire scheme of trafficking mercenaries to the Russian army.<\/p>\n

At the same time, we know for sure that Cuban citizens continue to arrive in the Russian Federation. We see that this flow has not been stopped.<\/p>\n

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So far, no real attempts have been recorded by the Cuban authorities to repatriate at least those Cubans whose data was identified<\/a> and featured in numerous publications in foreign media. For example, Yaser Lopez who published his own passport details.<\/p>\n

We do not see any meaningful steps taken by the Cuban government to actually fight against mercenarism and attempts to bring participants to justice. Cuba does not even block the channels for transferring funds from identified mercenaries.<\/p>\n

There is also no evidence yet that Cuba has initiated criminal proceedings against already identified mercenaries. Accordingly, when the Cuban ambassador in Moscow said that his government does not object to the participation of its citizens in the war against Ukraine, he was probably more sincere than the Cuban Foreign Ministry, which hastened to refute this statement.<\/p>\n

But any political decisions must have consequences, and if Cuba does not block the flow of mercenaries to Russia who sign contracts with the Russian Army in order to fight against Ukraine, then there must be a reaction from the international community. Therefore, we draw attention to these latest facts and evidence of the recruitment of Cubans into the ranks of the Russian Army.<\/p>\n

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Read more publications based on the data from Cyber Resistance hacktivists<\/h2>\n