This new Myspace accounts many guys whoever labels and you can images match brand new passports viewed by-time indicate that it rapidly marketed ramshackle house and you will leftover its girlfriends, spouses, and young children to go away having Russia. This new recruits’ societal-media accounts emphasize the brand new difficulty of its resides in Cuba, which have postings asking getting treatments and offering many techniques from cell phone pieces so you can rationed animal meat on black-market web sites. “Into currency you can easily spend me,” that Cuban people said when you look at the a video to your WhatsApp handled so you can Russian recruiters, “in the event the I am killed or otherwise not, at the least I will be able to let my loved ones.”

Regarding weeks one to adopted, a stream of Cuban recruits began to get to Tula, depending on the hacked data files

“Dad went along to Angola,” one to son composed during the a lengthy factor of their choice, referencing Cuba’s implementation in excess of 50,000 “volunteers” to help you Angola and you will Ethiopia out-of 1975 in order to 1991 to fight inside the Soviet-backed battles. “All of the my personal men ancestors were in certain battle and i want to follow them…I understand the thought of canon fodder and i also try not to worry.”

Into July step one, Russian airline Aeroflot began operating direct aircraft on the Cuban coastline city of Varadero so you’re able to Moscow. “I now have fourteen some one in the selection area,” Maj. Anton Valentinovich Perevozchikov, good Russian army administrator in town from Tula, typed inside a contact toward July 18. “Passport translations try urgently requisite.” New circulate appeared to last for at the least 1 month. “10 more folks are coming observe me today,” the brand new manager had written toward Aug. 18. (Perevozchikov don’t respond to TIME’s request remark.)

Inside the films shared with Cuban media, recruits flick themselves during the an armed forces foot that have its brains hairless by the Russian soldiers

Such characters and you will connected data were into the Sept. 5 of the a Ukrainian activist hacker class titled “Cyber Opposition UA,” with including pulled duty on previous leaks regarding hacked emails regarding Russian politicians. “The newest Cuban authorities is wanting so you can abdicate responsibility getting giving their citizens so you can conflict facing Ukraine,” the fresh new hacker classification wrote for the Telegram following the Cuban bodies generated the human being-trafficking allegation. “We shall ‘help’ the Cuban bodies to keep in mind the trouble and you may publish the newest passports of 200 mercenaries.”

Day managed to match at least 20 names on the passports to social-news pages. A number of the photo include photos of its Russian migration cards, and therefore county the reason behind going to the nation once the “tourist.” All the arrivals seem to have flown into the Sheremetyevo International Airport inside the Moscow, in which several said becoming welcomed by Cuban troops. In one pictures viewed by-time, present arrivals angle to have an excellent selfie in the airport having a good other Cuban dressed in an armed forces consistent on Russian banner spot, providing a thumbs-upwards sign.

The brand new recruits don’t mask the steps, overall might predict once they was indeed part of an enthusiastic undercover design otherwise “trafficking” procedure. Particular altered their Twitter destination to “located in Moscow” and you can published regular photographs having landmarks and you may armed forces tools. Six photos sent to members of the family and you can viewed of the Big date reveal Cuban recruits posing during the barracks or holding firearms. In a single, Pedro Soto Hernandez, whoever passport identifies your due to the fact an excellent 59-year-dated local out-of Granma, presents when you look at the a great Russian military consistent, flashing a leisure sign towards caption “por la madre patria.” (“For the motherland.”) You to definitely recruit’s sibling advised Date she talked in order to their nephew almost every day, and therefore he was still training dating.com troЕЎak in Russia.

However, following the recruits’ implementation so you’re able to Ukraine, a lot of the fresh communication seemed to quit, resulting in puzzled and sometimes desperate texts regarding relatives and buddies home. “I would like a variety in which I’m able to arrived at my cousin,” a lady called Yanisleydy Hernandez posted on July 6. “The guy signed up in the [Russian] Military.” Numerous recruits told Cuban mass media one their mobile phones was indeed taken away because of the Russian forces when they was in fact deployed, pointing out safety issues about becoming imagined from the drones. Inside a July 30 blog post circulated inside Cuban communities with the Myspace, an unknown people told you he was struggling to reach his friend inside the Russia to tell him their cousin got passed away home. “Excite, cubanos, avoid being tricked from the these not true pledges,” the guy typed. “The trouble from inside the Cuba are crappy, but attending a combat is not a [better] choice.”