MIAMI – The Cuban Resistance Assembly (ARC) presented on November 3 in Miami the results of a recent trip by its Secretary General, Orlando Gutiérrez-Boronat, to Ukraine, where he met with three Cubans captured while fighting in the ranks of the Russian army. The prisoners — Ernesto Michel Pérez Arbeláez, Frank Darío Jarrosay Manfuga, and Yusbel González Tuercos — remain in the custody of Ukrainian authorities and, according to the opposition leader, are being treated “with respect and humanity.”
Gutiérrez-Boronat stated that the three requested to send a message to their families in Cuba to confirm that they are alive and out of danger, although he noted that they have been “witnesses to the horrors Russia has unleashed upon the Ukrainian people.” The meeting was recorded on video and will be released to the media soon.
During the press conference, the leader of the ARC stated that there is “solid evidence” of the Cuban regime’s involvement in recruiting citizens to fight in Ukraine. He claimed this is an operation supervised by Cuban intelligence, from the moment recruits leave the island until they arrive on Russian territory. These findings, he said, will be included in a report to be submitted to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
The opposition figure said that each fighter was promised around $2,000, and that recruitment networks also operate in South American countries. He further claimed that Colombian guerrilla groups are taking part in the conflict to gain “modern military experience” before returning to Colombia. He stated, “I am convinced, based on investigations by Ukrainian authorities, that the Cuban regime is receiving money from Russia”, as part of a military collaboration that—he noted—dates back to the Cold War era.
“This proves that Havana is not acting as a mere observer, but as an active partner in Russia’s war machine,” he declared.
“The Cuban regime is receiving a bonus for each mercenary,” he asserted.
Gutiérrez-Boronat emphasized that Ukraine’s recent vote at the United Nations against the Cuban regime had “the full support of the Cuban exile community,” calling it “a victory in the pursuit of a free Cuba.” He also stressed the importance of Europe supporting the Cuban people and not continuing the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement, which he said the island’s dictatorship exploits.
“We are entering a new phase in the fight for Cuba’s freedom, and I ask the exile community for patience because this struggle is ours, and we have an American government that supports our cause,” he stated.
Regarding the future of the Cuban prisoners in Ukraine, Gutiérrez-Boronat explained that due to the ongoing war, Kyiv cannot yet determine their final outcome, though he assured they “will not face the death penalty”. However, he emphasized that they will be subject to legal proceedings.
At the same event, René Bolio, president of the Justice Cuba Commission, called on the international community to investigate the criminal responsibility of the Cuban regime, as well as that of civilian recruiters and international actors involved in human trafficking.
Cuba: The country sending the most mercenaries to Russia
On September 18, Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart led a virtual national security briefing in which Ukrainian government advisers and lawmakers from Kyiv stated that around 20,000 Cuban citizens may have been recruited by Russia to fight in its invasion. Presidential adviser Vladyslav Vlasyuk said Ukraine had positively identified more than 1,000 of these fighters and that at least 250 contracts had expired without the recruits being released.
He also confirmed that the average monthly salary offered is $2,000, and that the average age of the recruits is 35.
“On average, they die between 140 and 150 days after signing the contract; the shortest known survival was seven days,” Vlasyuk added.
During the session, documents were presented that Ukrainian authorities claim prove the existence of these recruitment networks. These included:
- Complaints from Cuban families filed with Russian entities about disappearances, unpaid wages, and forced retention after contracts had expired.
- The case of a Cuban woman recruited for a monthly salary of 195,000 rubles.
- A criminal case in Russia against recruiter Yelena Smirnova, accused of defrauding 300 to 400 Cubans of their pay.
- Letters from Cuban recruits denouncing nonpayment and their inability to leave military units deployed in Crimea.
Oleksandr Merezhko, president of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Ukrainian Parliament and a member of the Free Cuba Caucus, framed the phenomenon as part of what he called “the axis of evil,” made up of allied authoritarian regimes.
“The Castro regime in Cuba plays a special role in Latin America,” he stated, adding that those who assist Russia “must be considered complicit in the war crimes committed by Moscow.” Merezhko also said he would push European bodies to recognize the Cuban regime as a “terrorist regime.”
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