Ukraine shuts Havana Embassy Citing Cuban Citizens fighting for Russia.

Nov 2025 : Ukraine has closed its embassy in Havana amid rising diplomatic tensions, citing Cuba’s failure to curb the recruitment of its citizens to fight alongside Russia in the ongoing war against Ukraine.

The move came as Kyiv voted against a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for an end to the US embargo on Cuba. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andril Sybiha has asserted in his X-Handle:

“Today, Ukraine voted against the UNGA resolution on the “Necessity of ending U.S. embargo

against Cuba”. This move is not sudden. And it has serious reasons. We remember

Cuban President’s wish of “success” to Putin in his war of aggression against Ukraine.

We heard it well. This year, we decided to close our embassy in Havana and downgrade our

diplomatic ties. Our vote is not against the Cuban people, we respect their right to live in prosperity.

It is against the inaction of Cuba’s authorities in response to massive recruitment of Cuban citizens to the Russian occupation army. Thousands of them have signed contracts, joining the ranks of

soldiers directly engaged in combat operations on Ukrainian soil. The unwillingness of Havana

 to stop massive deployment of its nationals in the Russian war against Ukraine constitutes

complicity in aggression and must be condemned in the strongest terms.

Ukraine will always oppose such a practice and defend the purposes and principles of the UN Charter”.

Earlier this month, Ukraine’s military intelligence reported that at least 1,076 Cuban nationals have joined or are currently fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, with 96 listed as missing and presumed dead. According to Kyiv, many were allegedly lured by fake online job offers for construction work, with private brokers arranging their travel and Russian embassies providing visas.

In a recent statement, Kenya’s foreign ministry warned that citizens are being misled by fraudulent agents posing as recruiters for Russia, who use false information to send them into the war zone.

Kenyans are being “lured by corrupt and ruthless agents to travel to Russia and unknowingly find themselves in the Russian military operation”. It has further added that, the system has been made complicated by the agents who masquerade as working with the Russian Government and use unscrupulous methods including falsified information to lure innocent Kenyans into the battlefield.

South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have reported that North Korea deployed over 10,000 troops to Russia last year, primarily to the Kursk region. ROK’s intelligence estimated that up to 2,000 of those soldiers have been killed on the battlefield. According to Ukrainian military officials, around 20,000 North Korean workers are also taking part in Russia’s defense production, particularly in the assembly of Geran drones.

Chief of the General Staff Major General Andriy Hnatovsaid said that the workers appear to be based in Yelabuga, a town in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan, where Geran loitering munitions, which are the Russia’s version of the Iranian-developed Shahed kamikaze drones, are being manufactured.

Hnatov also verified that North Korean troops are present in Russia’s Kursk region, which the region’s acting governor Alexander Khinshtein revealed in early September. Russia calls them engineering units sent to clear mines, but Ukraine has not seen them take part in recent fighting.

North Korea has a history of dispatching citizens abroad for hard labour to generate revenue for the regime, despite United Nations bans. If confirmed, the role of these workers in Russia’s defense industry would mark a deeper military partnership between Moscow (Russia) and Pyongyang (North Korea).

The Ukrainian government-run initiative “I Want to Live” has reported that at least 314 Belarusian citizens have died while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. Moreover, Kyiv accounted for up to 1,338 Belarusian nationals who had joined Russian forces, with about a quarter reported killed.

The platform tracks information on foreign fighters and related casualties, and also operates a hotline for Russian soldiers willing to surrender. Most deceased Belarusians served in the 150th Motorised Rifle Division, with some reportedly recruited from Russian prisons.

Similar cases have also been documented involving citizens from Togo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Benin.

Team Maverick