Desperate Cubans lured to Russian army by high pay and passports

Russia has been recruiting Cuban nationals to fight in its army in Ukraine, research by the BBC has shown.

In September and October 2023, passport details belonging to over 200 Cubans who allegedly joined the Russian army were leaked online by a pro-Ukrainian platform called InformNapalm.

The passport details were obtained, the site said, by hacking the emails of a Russian military recruitment officer in Tula, south of Moscow.

A Facebook search has shown that 31 of the names mentioned in the Ukrainian leak match accounts whose owners appear to be in Russia or linked to the Russian army.

Some, for instance, have posted photos of themselves wearing Russian military uniform, or in locations that bear Russian street signs or Russian number plates. Others list Russia as their current place of residence.