Cuba's Foreign Ministry has denied allegations from Washington regarding Cuban military participation in Ukraine, as diplomatic tensions ratchet up over recruitment schemes that have allegedly sent thousands of nationals to fight alongside Russian forces, AFP reported.

The ministry rejected what it termed "false accusations" from the US government about Cuban involvement in the conflict, stating that no nationals received official encouragement or consent from Havana for such activities. This rebuttal follows Washington's assertion earlier in October that the Cuban regime failed to protect citizens from exploitation in the Russia-Ukraine war, according to a US State Department spokesman quoted by AFP.

Ukrainian intelligence estimates between 6,000 and 7,000 Cubans currently serve on battlefields, representing the second-largest foreign contingent after North Korea's deployment of over 10,000 troops. Kyiv's "I Want to Live" surrender initiative claimed in May to possess verified data on 1,028 Cuban nationals who signed contracts with Russian armed forces during 2023-2024. Ukrainian officials who briefed US congressional leaders in September estimated 20,000 Cubans have been recruited since 2022, with hundreds reported killed.

The recruitment controversy deepens as Russia's Federation Council ratified a military cooperation agreement with Cuba on October 8, following signatures in Havana on March 13 and Moscow on March 19. The timing reinforces concerns about institutional links between the recruitment networks and broader strategic alignment, particularly as Russia committed to supplying Cuba with 1.64mn tonnes of much-needed oil and petroleum products annually alongside hydroelectric infrastructure development.

Cuba acknowledged sentencing 26 nationals to prison terms ranging from five to 14 years for mercenary activities since September 2023, when reports of battlefield recruitment first emerged. Investigative reporting by RFE/RL's Systema unit identified Yelena Smirnova, a 41-year-old alleged travel agent from Ryazan, as a central figure in recruitment networks that allegedly processed over 3,000 foreign fighters according to defence lawyer documents, with relatives of deployed Cubans describing deceptive social media advertisements promising construction employment whilst concealing military service obligations.

The diplomatic dispute threatens to hinder Cuba's economic recovery efforts, as the communist-run island grapples with energy shortages and relies on Moscow for strategic commodities including steel, wheat and political backing at multilateral forums. Cuba abstained in six United Nations votes condemning Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, maintaining what EU High Representative Kaja Kallas described in May as "historic ties" with the Kremlin.

Washington's characterisation of recruitment as state-facilitated human trafficking marks a significant escalation from previous descriptions of isolated criminal networks, potentially triggering fresh sanctions that could further strain Cuba's struggling economy and limit already constrained access to international financial markets.