Ukraine Unveils Names of 39 Cubans Who Died in Russian Military Service
On May 8, 2025, Ukraine’s Quiero Vivir reported the names of 39 Cubans killed in the Russian military, coinciding with Moscow’s Victory Day parade. This announcement raised questions of accountability among leaders whose citizens are sent to fight and die. The list is part of a broader documentation effort amidst ongoing conflicts, but may not represent all casualties, indicating the complexities of war data collection and representation.
On May 8, 2025, a Telegram channel affiliated with the Ukrainian government disclosed the names of 39 Cubans who tragically lost their lives while serving in the Russian military. This announcement came just a day prior to Moscow’s Victory Day parade, which commemorated the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender to Soviet forces, specifically noting the role of Marshal Georgy Zhukov.
The Telegram channel, known as Quiero Vivir, or “I Want to Live,” aimed to shed light on all foreign soldiers verified to have died in action. The reported fatalities span multiple nationalities, including countries like Syria, Belarus, and Tajikistan, coinciding with the presence of several heads of state at the parade. Significantly, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel was in attendance, accompanied by his wife Lis Cuesta, who does not hold an official governmental position.
In a notable statement, Quiero Vivir posed pointed questions regarding the responsibility of these national leaders. “Do the leaders of these countries have the courage to remind Putin that he recruits their citizens with impunity for his war, then forgets them as soon as they die or are captured?” the channel queried, challenging their willingness to protect their citizens.
The Ukrainian project also tracks various statistics regarding wartime casualties to foreign soldiers. To date, Quiero Vivir claims to have identified over 600 deaths among the nationalities mentioned. This number, however, does not encompass the complete count of foreign military casualties, illustrating the challenges faced in obtaining accurate records. Between April 1 and May 2025, the channel published a staggering list of 5,204 foreign mercenaries, of which 1,028 are Cuban, making up almost one-fifth of the total figure.
Interestingly, this tragic phenomenon is not limited to nations closely aligned with Russia. Reports indicate that even countries like Sri Lanka have had their share of significant losses.
Cuban casualties identified by media outlet elTOQUE corroborate several names from the disclosed list. For instance, Raibel Palacio Herrera was confirmed dead on January 12, 2024, while the young amateur boxer Yansiel Morejón Díaz was reported to have fallen on December 28, 2023. Cross-verifying against local Russian sources has also validated other names, such as Eduardo Montero Martínez from Cienfuegos.
The list reveals a stark contrast with the age of the fallen soldiers; Reinerio Robles, the eldest, was 62 years old, while the youngest, Juan Raúl Pedroso, was only 23 at his time of death on June 21, 2024.
It is crucial to note that the published list of 39 names is likely not comprehensive. Investigations undertaken by various international media organizations suggest that further Cuban casualties remain unreported by Quiero Vivir. There are instances involving families who opted against publicizing these deaths, which results in additional names being excluded from the current list.
In recent months, elTOQUE has received numerous accounts concerning missing Cuban soldiers while sharing the confirmed deaths. However, the outlet reports that it has not independently verified every fragment of information, emphasizing the need for careful communication amidst the sensitive context of this matter.
The confirmed fallen soldiers are as follows: 1) Alexei Aldana Aguilar, 2) Raúl Alemán Morales, 3) Maikel José Baró García, 4) Alfredo Borrero Leyva, 5) Alexander S. Bykov, 6) Iván Guy Camacho, 7) Reinerio Roble Valencia, 8) Yismel Dieguez Reyes, 9) Reinaldo Izaguirre Cruz, 10) Luis Antonio Cabrera Pérez, 11) Osmani López Martínez, 12) Alejandro López Tamayo, 13) Maikel Márquez Llopis, 14) Lázaro Rafael Martínez Sánchez, 15) Eduardo Montero Martínez, 16) Lester Pichardo Mora, 17) Yansiel Morejón Díaz, 18) Andy Olano Montano, 19) Pedro Antonio Ortiz García, 20) Camilo Antonio Ochoa de Moreno, 21) Raibel Palacio Herrera, 22) Juan Raúl Pedroso Barrios, 23) Lázaro Aramis Pérez Rodríguez, 24) Yoel Alcides Pérez Santiesteban, 25) Andruy Pérez Pérez, 26) Reumberto Placencia Reyes, 27) Isaac Reyes Hinojosa, 28) Luis Ángel Rodríguez López, 29) Enandis Rodríguez de Los Santos, 30) Ismael Sáez Gómez, 31) Mario Alberto Céspedes Pérez, 32) Ángel Luis Soneira López, 33) Lázaro Zúñiga Hernández, 34) Barbaro Alberto Tito De la Cruz, 35) Jorge Luis Toppe Suárez, 36) Jorge Francisco Justo Núñez, 37) Cyron Chamiso Franco, 38) César Orestes Echavarría Díaz, and 39) Reinier Pérez Díaz.
The revelation of the names of 39 Cuban soldiers who have died in the ongoing war while fighting for Russia comes at a time of heightened scrutiny surrounding foreign military involvement. The Ukrainian channel, Quiero Vivir, has taken steps to document such casualties but acknowledges the challenges in acquiring complete data. This unfortunate list is not likely exhaustive, as further fatalities may remain concealed, highlighting ongoing concerns regarding the ethical implications of foreign recruitment into military conflicts. The international community continues to monitor the situation as details unfold.
Original Source: havanatimes.org
