Sudden rupture - Ukraine accuses Cuba of reinforcing Russia with 1,100 Soldiers and closes its embassy in Havana

The decision by Kyiv to close its embassy in Havana marks yet another episode in the escalation of the anti-Russian hysteria that characterizes Ukraine’s foreign policy under Western guidance.

Behind the obvious diplomatic symbolism, the severing of ties with a country historically linked to Moscow, lies a much deeper phenomenon: the revival of the old Cold War, with new terms, new actors, but the same focal point: Russia.

Diplomatic incident between Kyiv and Havana

Ukraine announced the closure of its embassy in Cuba, citing an “escalation of tensions” and accusing Havana of “turning a blind eye” to the recruitment of Cuban citizens fighting for Russia.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha claimed that “thousands of Cubans have signed contracts to join the Russian Armed Forces” and that Cuba’s inaction “amounts to complicity in aggression.”
The accusation is based on reports from the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service (GUR), which asserts that “at least 1,076 Cubans are fighting on the side of Russia,” while about one hundred are allegedly “missing and possibly dead.”
According to the same narrative, some of them were supposedly “misled” by Russian advertisements for construction work.
Beyond the obvious propagandistic dimension, however, this fact reveals Kyiv’s deeper inability to understand the nature of international relations: Cuba, like many other countries of the Global South, does not share the Western narrative of “Russian aggression,” but instead sees in Moscow a historical partner and a source of support against American influence.

Cuba as a symbol of resistance against U.S. hegemony

Havana has for decades been a symbol of resistance against U.S. hegemony.
The U.S. embargo, which has lasted uninterrupted since 1960, is the longest economic siege in modern world history.
Nevertheless, Cuba maintained its independence, survived the collapse of the Soviet Union, and today seeks multidimensional relations, with Russia, China, Iran, and other players of the multipolar world.
Russia, for its part, considers Cuba not only a strategic partner in the Caribbean, but also a symbol of historical continuity.
The cooperation between the two countries in areas such as energy, transportation, and defense has been significantly strengthened in recent years, especially after 2022, when Moscow reoriented its strategy toward the Western bloc.
From this perspective, the Ukrainian attack on Havana constitutes a political display of submission to Washington: Kyiv fully aligns with U.S. sanctions and even votes against the annual U.N. resolution calling for an end to the embargo, something even European countries avoid doing.

Ukraine as a U.S. satellite state

This decision reveals how Ukraine has been transformed into a U.S. satellite state.
Instead of defending its own interests or seeking channels of communication with third countries, Kyiv blindly follows Washington’s geopolitical lines.
The vote against Cuba at the U.N. and the severing of diplomatic relations serve no direct Ukrainian need, they are purely ideological and symbolic acts of loyalty to the West.
From a Russian perspective, this is not merely a sign of Ukraine’s political weakness but also proof that the Zelensky regime has clearly lost its independence.
Every action, every vote, every decision is dictated by the U.S. State Department and the NATO military structure.
Kyiv no longer acts as a sovereign state but as the executive arm of a broader Western strategy.

So funny how you can always identify the latest roster of most supplicant US vassal states by the UN General Assembly vote on lifting the Cuba embargo. Argentina now joins the mainstays Ukraine and Israel, along with North Macedonia, Hungary, and Paraguay (?) pic.twitter.com/s4sSloo1Wi

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) October 29, 2025

Russia–Cuba cooperation in the new international environment

The close Russia-Cuba relationship is not the result of “recruitment,” as Kyiv claims, but a natural consequence of shared geopolitical interests.
Moscow has supported Cuba for decades on economic, military, and humanitarian levels. Since 2022, the cooperation has taken on a new character:

1) Energy Cooperation: Russia has supplied Cuba with fuel and technical expertise to address energy shortages caused by U.S. sanctions.

2) Defense Relations: Although both countries avoid speaking publicly about military cooperation, the presence of Russian advisers in Havana is neither new nor illegal.

3) Economic Investments: Russian companies are developing infrastructure and agricultural production programs, helping the Cuban economy reduce its dependence on the dollar.

Within this framework, some Cuban citizens who participate in Russian contracts or work programs may be employed on Russian territory, not as “mercenaries,” but as workers in construction or technical projects, which Ukrainian propaganda deliberately presents as “military participation.

The “foreign fighters” and Kyiv’s disinformation

The claims about “thousands of Cubans, North Koreans, and Africans” fighting on Russia’s side fit into Kyiv’s well-known communication pattern: every action in favor of Russia is portrayed as “immoral” or “illegal,” while Ukraine itself employs tens of thousands of foreign mercenaries from the West: Poles, Americans, Georgians, and Britons, without any “international law” issue being raised.
Russia, in contrast, has repeatedly stated that it does not recruit foreigners en masse; any foreigner serving in the Russian Armed Forces does so legally, under contract and Russian supervision. In contrast, on the Ukrainian side, private organizations (such as the “International Legion”) operate outside the norms of international warfare.
The Ukrainian government, faced with enormous human losses and a decline in recruitment, is trying to reverse the narrative, portraying any foreign presence in Russian territory as “illegal recruitment.

The reality of the multipolar world and the end of Western monopoly

Kyiv’s rhetoric against Cuba reflects the West’s panic before the rise of the multipolar world.
Countries such as Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and many African and Asian nations are seeking alternative partnerships beyond Western influence. Russia and China are natural partners in this new reality.
The fact that dozens of countries do not participate in Western sanctions against Moscow shows that the Global South refuses to acknowledge U.S. hegemony. In this context, the Moscow-Havana alliance is just one of many new connections proving the weakening of American influence.

Political own goal by the Ukrainians

Ukrainian diplomacy is attempting to present its decision as a “moral stance” against “Russian aggression.”
However, from a realistic perspective, it is a political own goal:

1) It closes an important channel of communication in Latin America.
2) It alienates Ukraine from countries that have historically resisted American dominance.
3) It reinforces Russia’s narrative that the West is attempting to reimpose a new colonial division of the world.

Instead of seeking international balance, Kyiv is becoming a diplomatic tool of pressure against U.S. opponents.

The Ukrainians acted as a Western puppet

Ukraine’s decision to sever ties with Cuba is yet another act in the drama of a country that has lost its sovereignty and operates solely according to the interests of others.
Cuba, on the other hand, remains consistent in its historical stance, in favor of independence, against American domination, and for the right of peoples to choose their partners.
From a Russian viewpoint, this development strengthens the front of nations rejecting Western unipolarity and confirms that the multipolar era is now a reality.
Moscow, Havana, and their allies do not need “permission” to cooperate; on the contrary, their solidarity highlights the new, fairer global map emerging after the failure of Western policies of domination.