Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne reports that intelligence data show about 20,000 Cubans are fighting on Russia’s side in the war against Ukraine. The report was discussed during a US Congress security briefing, which highlighted Cuba’s role in aiding Russia both with fighters and sanction evasion.

US Congress briefing on Cuban involvement

On 18 September, US Representative Mario Díaz-Balart, a Republican from Florida, hosted a virtual national security briefing with Ukrainian officials and US lawmakers. The focus was the “alarming presence of thousands of Cuban regime troops fighting alongside Russia in the war against Ukraine” and the threat this poses to US and regional security.

Florida representatives María Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez also participated, alongside Cuban opposition figures and Ukrainian officials including presidential sanctions adviser Vladyslav Vlasiuk, intelligence representative Andrii Yusov, and members of parliament Oleksandr Merezhko and Marian Zablotskyi.

20,000 Cubans recruited for Russia’s war

According to Suspilne, Ukrainian intelligence representative said at the meeting that around 20,000 Cubans have been recruited by Russia. About 1,000 signed formal contracts with Russia in 2023–2025. The average age of these mercenaries is 35.

Ukrainian officials presented a list of 39 confirmed Cuban fatalities but stressed that the figure represents only part of the actual losses. Each Cuban fighter reportedly receives about $2,000 a month. Yusov noted that while the payment is small, it is “a powerful argument” for Cuba’s impoverished population.

Foreign support for Russia’s war machine

Briefing participants also stressed how Russia continues to bypass sanctions with support from Cuba, China, Iran, and North Korea. According to intelligence data, critical microchips and other components flow into Russia’s defense industry through these countries. Officials stated that 60% of Russia’s artillery shells come from North Korea, while Iranian drones are used in major strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure. Ukrainian intelligence emphasized that Cuban fighters form the second-largest foreign mercenary group in Russia’s ranks.

Training in occupied Crimea

Suspilne Krym earlier reported that Cuban mercenaries, alongside recruits from African states and other Russian allies, undergo training in Russian-occupied Crimea before being deployed to fight against Ukraine.

President Donald Trump moved to cancel nearly $5 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid and peacekeeping spending using a rare “pocket rescission” mechanism not employed for 48 years, The New York Post reported on 29 August.

On 28 August, Trump said Congress of his request to cancel the funds, which had been frozen in a court case until earlier that day. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals lifted an injunction, clearing the path for the first attempted pocket rescission since 1977.

A pocket rescission allows the president to present a cancellation request to Congress so late in the fiscal year that it takes effect regardless of congressional approval. The current fiscal year ends on 30 September.

The cancellation targets $3.2 billion in United States Agency for International Development (USAID) assistance, $322 million from the USAID-State Department Democracy Fund, $521 million in State Department contributions to international organizations, $393 million for peacekeeping activities, and $445 million in separately budgeted peacekeeping aid.

The spending had been designated for nonprofits and foreign governments but was paused earlier this year by the White House Office of Management and Budget, then stuck in legal proceedings following a lawsuit by the Global Health Council.

The Trump administration highlighted what it considers wasteful spending items. These include millions for “climate resilience” in Honduras, for South Africa’s Democracy Works Foundation, and for promotion democracy among LGBT people in the Western Balkans.

The cuts also eliminate $1.5 million designated to market paintings by Ukrainian women.