Cuba cracks down on Russia-based human trafficking ring

Cuba’s Foreign Ministry on Monday said that authorities had discovered and were attempting to dismantle a human trafficking ring operating out of Russia. The foreign ministry said the trafficking ring was taking Cuban citizens in Russia, and even some from Cuba, and putting them into “the military forces that participate in military operations in Ukraine.” Cuba also said it opposed the use of mercenaries.

Why would Cuban citizens be trafficked to fight in Ukraine? The Russian government had not publicly addressed the Cuban government’s statement by noon Tuesday. One Russian news outlet, Ryazan Gazette, reported earlier this year that some Cuban citizens had signed contracts to serve in Russia’s military. Last December, the Russian government said it would try to boost the size of its military by 30 percent, bringing it to 1.5 million troops.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Reichard’s discussion with John Hardie on The World and Everything in It podcast about the death of Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.