Cuba Denies Sending Troops to Ukraine

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba has issued an official statement, categorically denying and labeling as baseless the claims by the United States that Cuban military personnel are participating in combat operations in Ukraine as part of Russian forces. According to Havana, only mercenaries are participating in the military operations, and the Cuban government adheres to a policy of "zero tolerance" towards such phenomena.

To substantiate its position, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented data on its legal fight against mercenarism. The statement mentions that between 2023 and 2025, nine criminal cases under the "Mercenarism" article were transferred to Cuban courts against 40 defendants. "Verdicts have already been reached in eight cases. In five of them, 26 defendants were found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment for terms ranging from five to fourteen years. The verdicts in three cases are pending, and one case is still under judicial investigation," the official statement said.

This diplomatic debate of accusations and denials is unfolding on the eve of an important political event. This month, the UN is preparing to vote on a resolution to lift the decades-long US blockade against Cuba. It is precisely in this context that the US State Department sent a cable to its diplomatic missions, calling for lobbying against the resolution.

The cable, in particular, states that between 1,000 and 5,000 Cuban military personnel are fighting on the side of Russia in Ukraine, which, according to the American side, is the second-largest number of foreign contingents in the Russian army, after North Korea.

In response to these claims, the Cuban Foreign Ministry reiterated in its statement: "Cuba is not participating in the armed conflict in Ukraine and is not sending its military personnel there or to any other country." Thus, Havana views the American accusations as a tool of political pressure aimed at influencing the important upcoming vote at the UN.