Why Cubans are fighting for Russia in Ukraine

Santa Clara, Cuba
CNN
 — 

For months, hundreds of Cubans have quietly left the island to fight for Russia in its war in Ukraine, chasing promises of money and Russian citizenship from shadowy online recruiters, family members told CNN.

Across much of Cuba, the economy has ground to a standstill as the communist-run island reels from a sharp drop in tourism, spiking inflation and renewed US sanctions. In…