MIAMI- Civil liberties activists in the United States have denounced the deceptive recruitment of Cubans for the guerra in UkraineOn Tuesday, details were released about a prisoner of war in Ukraine, and the danger faced by Cubans who need to be turned into mercenaries.
The Cuban Resistance Assembly interviewed Cuban Frank Darío Jarrozay, who explained that he was taken to Ukraine under the false promise of working in constructions in Russia. “I joined the platform but not to enter the war, I never thought it was war,” said the young man.
Orlando Gutiérrez-Boronat, of the Cuban Democratic Directorate, said that Frank Darío provided valuable testimony about Cuban casualties and conditions at the front. “He does not have exact figures, but his testimony is very important,” said Gutiérrez-Boronat, clarifying that Jarrozay is not a supporter of the Cuban regime.
Frank Dario, 35, from Guantanamo, was captured by the Ukrainian army while fighting on the Russian side. In April, in kyiv, he revealed how he was tricked by an advertisement on social media promising construction jobs in Russia.
“It came as a banner, a banner saying that Russia needed people for construction and other tasks,” Jarrozay said.
Cuban exiles in the United States have expressed concern about the vulnerability of Cubans to these scams, pointing out the lack of alternatives and the crisis of civil liberties on the island.
Iliana Lavastida, from Diario Las Américas, said: “Why does a young Cuban offer himself as a mercenary for a war? Because in Cuba they have no alternative way of life, they have no freedom and no way to pay for their living.”
Financing Europe
The Cuban Democratic Directorate also criticised European funding of the Cuban regime. “Europe is sending 155 million euros annually to the Cuban regime, and has forgiven 146 million pounds in debt,” lamented Gutiérrez-Boronat.
In September 2023, Russian ambassador Victor Coroneli stated that Moscow is collaborating with Havana to investigate these recruitments. However, Gutiérrez-Boronat reported that an undetermined number of Cubans have recently died on the war front.
Source: With information from Info Martí