Cuba: Size: Area of 350,730 km2 (135,420
sq mi) Vietnam: Size: Area of 331,212 km2 (127,882 sq
mi)
Cuba says it dismantled human
trafficking ring recruiting for Russia's war in Ukraine Updated September 5, 202311:59 AM ET MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Cuba says it has disrupted a scheme in Russia to
recruit Cuban citizens to fight in Ukraine. In a statement, Cuba's Foreign Ministry called the alleged plan a human trafficking ring. It said Cubans, both in Russia and on the island, had been recruited to fight in Russia's war against Ukraine. Cuba is facing the worst economic crisis in decades. The government is struggling to keep the lights on and Cubans are struggling to keep food on their tables. If already bad relations with the United States deteriorate, things could get worse. Over the past few months, Cuba has been diligent in
batting back any suggestion that it is helping Russia in this conflict. "Cuba plays no role in the war in Ukraine,"
the statement read. "It is acting and will act vigorously against
whoever, from the national territory, participates in any form of human
trafficking for the purposes of recruitment of mercenaries so that Cuban
citizens use weapons against any country." Without giving details, Cuba
says it has begun prosecuting those suspected of being involved in the
recruitment. The statement strikes a rare note of discord between
the two allies. Historically, the Cuban government has had close relations
the Russian government since Cuba's revolution in 1959 and sided with Moscow
during the Cold War. The Russian foreign minister traveled to Cuba in
April as part of a tour of Russia's Latin American allies and, most recently,
the Cuban defense minister held talks with his counterpart in Moscow. At the
end of last year, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel met Russian President
Vladimir Putin in Moscow. In late May, a newspaper in the Russian city of Ryazan reported over a dozen Cuban citizens had joined Russia's armed forces to fight in Ukraine, in return for Russian citizenship. The reports have not been independently verified. Moscow has
yet to comment on the allegations. The
Cuban statement comes at a time when Russia is actively recruiting to boost
the size of its armed forces fighting in Ukraine. |
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