Cuban Foreign Ministry denies U.S. claims of troops fighting in Ukraine

Cuba categorically rejects claims of participation in the conflict in Ukraine 

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Government of the Republic of Cuba rejects the mendacious allegations being spread by the United States Government concerning an alleged involvement of Cuba in the military conflict in Ukraine. This is a slanderous accusation first launched in 2023 by certain media outlets without offering any evidence or substantiation of any kind, and clearly serving an assigned purpose. 

The Cuban Government categorically reaffirms that Cuba is not part of the armed conflict in Ukraine, nor does it participate with military personnel there or in any other country. 

Our authorities have no precise information regarding Cuban nationals who, on their own initiative, have participated or are participating in the military forces of either side of the conflict. What is indisputable is that none of them acts with the encouragement, commitment, or consent of the Cuban State. 

In accordance with its national legislation and international obligations, the Cuban Government maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward mercenarism, human trafficking, and the participation of its nationals in any armed confrontation in another country — all of which constitute serious crimes subject to severe penalties under national law. 

As declared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 4, 2023, upon detecting the presence of Cubans in the conflict in Ukraine, steps were taken to neutralize recruitment within the national territory, and criminal proceedings were initiated accordingly. 

Between 2023 and 2025, Cuban courts have conducted nine criminal proceedings for the offense of mercenarism, involving forty defendants. In eight of these cases, trials have been held, and in five, guilty verdicts have been handed down against 26 defendants, with sentences ranging from 5 to 14 years of imprisonment. Three cases await the court’s judgment, and one case is pending trial.

Cubans participating on both sides of the armed conflict have been recruited through organizations not based in our country and having no connection whatsoever with the Cuban Government. In the vast majority of cases, this recruitment has been carried out abroad among Cuban nationals residing or temporarily staying in various countries, just as recruitment for that conflict has taken place among people of many other nationalities, in numbers that also remain imprecise. 

The United States Government has not provided and will not be able to offer a single piece of evidence to support its baseless and mendacious accusations in this new defamatory campaign against Cuba. 

Havana, October 11, 2025. 

(Cubaminrex)