A group of 14 Cuban men told Radio y Televisión Martí this week that they were offered express Russian citizenship for joining the country's military to fight in Ukraine.
The men were photographed during the recruitment process in Ryazan, Russia, with Cuban outlets confirming their nationalities and Russian state media claiming they wanted to assist in the "special military operation."
"They signed up. They are receiving money because they are contractors," historian Álvaro Alba told Radio Martí. "They receive a portion from the army; another portion is given to them by the local authorities who also have to fulfill a plan. And they don't care if they are Indians, Cubans, Mozambicans, or Laotians.
"They sign up, and the short-term benefits are for their families there in Russia — this money they are going to be given and, also, with the possibility that in a few months, they will receive Russian nationality," he added.
One source told Cubanos por el Mundo that after an hour-long recruitment process, each Cuban received a salary of 20,400 Russian rubles and could extend their citizenship fast-track to immediate family members.
"You have to be in Russia, yes," one Cuban man who enlisted told the local outlet. "The government does not pay for tickets. It accepts those who are here with papers or without papers, whether they speak Russian or not."
Recruitment of Cuban citizens follows the signing of a decree by Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month to fast-track the citizenship of foreigners who join the Russian Armed Forces and fight for at least a year in Ukraine.
The decision came after National Security Council spokesman John Kirby cited U.S. intelligence on May 1, which claimed that Russia had lost over 100,000 casualties in just the previous five months.
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