A Telegram channel operated by the Ukrainian government revealed the names of 39 Cuban citizens who lost their lives while serving in the Russian military. This announcement was strategically timed to coincide with Moscow’s Victory Day parade, which commemorated the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany's surrender to Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov.
The channel, called Quiero vivir (“I Want to Live” in Spanish), disclosed the names of all foreign soldiers killed in action that it could verify. The nationalities mentioned—Syria, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Serbia, Turkmenistan, and Cuba—align with those of several heads of state who attended the parade. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel was present at the event, accompanied by his wife, Lis Cuesta, who does not hold an official government position.
“Do the leaders of these countries have the courage to remind Putin that he recruits their citizens for his war without consequence, only to abandon them when they die or are captured? Are they prepared to protect the lives of their people? Or will they continue to ignore the actions of Russia against their citizens?” Quiero Vivir stated in a recent announcement. This state-sponsored Ukrainian initiative monitors information regarding prisoners of war, missing servicemen, and Russian military casualties in Ukraine.
Quiero Vivir has reported over 600 fatalities among the nations mentioned. However, this number does not reflect the total count of foreign soldiers killed during the invasion, as even the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense lacks accurate figures. Between April 1 and May 2025, Quiero Vivir released the names of 5,204 foreign mercenaries, including 1,028 Cubans, which accounts for nearly one-fifth of the total.
It's important to highlight that not all the leaked soldiers come from countries within Russia's geopolitical sphere. Nations like Sri Lanka have also experienced considerable losses.
Cuban Casualties
elTOQUE has verified several names and details from the published list, as some deaths had previously been reported, albeit without specific dates. For instance, Raibel Palacio Herrera was confirmed to have passed away on January 12, 2024, while young boxer Yansiel Morejón Díaz from Villa Clara died on December 28, 2023. Cross-referencing with local Russian media also confirmed names such as Eduardo Montero Martínez from Cienfuegos.
The oldest soldier on the list was 62-year-old Reinerio Robles, who died in 2024, while the youngest, Juan Raúl Pedroso, was just 23 when he lost his life on June 21, 2024.
The list of 39 names is not comprehensive. Investigations by international media and independent sources suggest that there are more Cuban deaths that have not yet been recorded by Quiero Vivir. Additionally, some families have opted not to disclose the deaths, resulting in those names being excluded from this list.
In recent months, elTOQUE’s audience chat has reported instances of Cuban soldiers missing in action. We are providing the complete list of those confirmed deceased. Please note that elTOQUE could not independently verify every detail. We emphasize that this is a translation of a compilation from a third party.
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
39 Reinier Pérez Díaz
