At least 4,200 Cubans fighting for Russia as US warns of deepening Havana-Moscow relationship

At least 4,200 Cuban nationals are fighting for Moscow in its brutal war on Kyiv, Ukrainian intelligence services told The Post on Monday — and US officials are concerned it signals a growing threat to security in the Western Hemisphere as Havana deepens its relationship with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

While Moscow has previously reached out to other US adversaries for manpower help — most notably North Korea, which sent at least 15,000 troops to fight alongside the Russians — the addition of mass quantities of troops from Cuba is particularly concerning as the US seeks to focus more security efforts on the Western hemisphere.

“Yet another example of authoritarian regimes in Latin America actively siding with America’s enemies,” a source close to the White House told The Post.

Cuba claims the fighters are volunteers recruited by Moscow, but the country has one of the world’s most tightly controlled exit systems — meaning it’s unlikely they left the island with Havana’s approval, said multiple US and Ukrainian sources.

“One of Vladimir Putin’s biggest vulnerabilities is the massive number of casualties Russia has suffered in Ukraine and the need to avoid a mass mobilization in his political base in St. Petersburg and Moscow,” Atlantic Council fellow Alex Plitsas said. “4,200 Cuban mercenaries is not a small number by any means and it is unlikely that the Cuban government wouldn’t know about it.”

Plitsas added: “This is a step backwards for Cuba and a big mistake. Cuba has to decide if it wants to rejoin the free world or continue to support war criminals and terrorists.”

The development has triggered concern in the Trump administration, which has been heightening the US focus on security in the Western Hemisphere since January and deploying warships to central and South America in recent months.

“We’re aware of reports that Cuban nationals are fighting alongside Russian troops in the Russia-Ukraine war,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement Monday. “The Cuban regime has failed to protect its citizens from being used as pawns in the Russia-Ukraine war.”

The danger isn’t just that Cuba is helping Russia fight a war in Europe — there’s also concern about what happens if those fighters come home with front-line combat experience against NATO-trained forces and training in Russian tactics, weapons systems, and battlefield coordination, experts cautioned.

“It is highly plausible the Cuban government is complicit,” a senior Ukrainian official told The Post. “This provides the Cuban military with modern combat experience that could be deployed against US allies in Latin America.”

“The combat experience Cuban nationals gain in Ukraine is a dangerous and transferable commodity. This experience could be used to train proxies and destabilize other regions, particularly in Latin America, threatening the security of US allies and partners,” the person warned.

Ukrainian officials believe the recruits travel through Russian proxies in Belarus for training before they are deployed to the front lines. Belarusian defense officials announced earlier this year that they were ready to train Cuban troops — an admission that underscored the growing military axis linking Moscow, Minsk, and Havana.

For Washington, it’s déjà vu with a modern twist. During the Cold War, Cuba exported revolution across Africa and Latin America, sending troops to Angola, Ethiopia, and Nicaragua. Now, it’s exporting fighters for Russia — and importing the kind of combat experience that could destabilize America’s own backyard.

“The presence of thousands of Cuban fighters in Ukraine, reportedly sanctioned or tolerated by Havana, exposes the regime for what it has long been: a subcontractor of repression, serving Moscow’s wars abroad and silencing dissent at home,” said Thor Halvorssen, CEO of the Human Rights Foundation, which works against authoritarianism in Latin America.

“Cuba’s alliance with Russia, its military and intelligence networks with Venezuela and Nicaragua, and its export of repression have made the Caribbean a front in the global contest between tyranny and liberty.”

The news comes as Cuba again attempts to pass a United Nations resolution decrying the US embargo on the island nation, the State Department said — arguing that Havana uses the document “as a mechanism to victimize itself and to hide from their egregious crimes against the Cuban people.”

“The Cuban regime does not deserve the backing of America’s democratic allies,” a State Department spokesperson said. “The Trump Administration will not remain on the sidelines or support an illegitimate regime that undermines our national security interests in our region.”

Kyiv is on board with the US’ call to block the resolution, with a senior Ukrainian official telling The Post that “Cuba has become a strategic asset for an aggressor state, Russia, engaging in military and intelligence activities that directly threaten international security.”

“Supporting the UN resolution is no longer a symbolic gesture of compassion but a dangerous act of complicity that overlooks Havana’s role in destabilizing global order and emboldens a regime that actively undermines democratic principles,” the official said.