HAVANA, Sept 4 (Reuters) – Cuba has uncovered a people-smuggling ring that has forced its citizens to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine, its foreign ministry said on Monday, adding that Cuban authorities were working to “neutralize and dismantle” the network. grid.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry statement gave few details, but noted that the trafficking network operated both within the Caribbean island nation, thousands of kilometers from Moscow, and in Russia.
“The Ministry of the Interior… is working on the neutralization and dismantling of a human trafficking network that operates from Russia to incorporate Cuban citizens residing there, and even some from Cuba, into the military forces participating in war operations. in Ukraine,” the Cuban government statement said.
The Russian government has not commented on the allegations.
Russia last year announced a plan to increase the size of its armed forces by more than 30%, to 1.5 million combat troops, an ambitious goal made more difficult by the sheer number of casualties in the war, although not yet revealed.
In late May, a Russian newspaper in the city of Ryazan reported that several Cuban citizens had signed contracts with the Russian armed forces and had been sent to Ukraine in exchange for Russian citizenship.
It was not immediately clear if the Cuban Foreign Ministry statement was associated with the Ryazan report.
But Cuba’s government said it had already begun processing cases in which its citizens had been forced to fight in Ukraine.
“Attempts of this nature have been neutralized and criminal proceedings have been initiated against the people involved in these activities,” the Monday statement read.
Reporting by Dave Sherwood and Marc Frank in Havana; Editing by Michael Perry
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