Cuban mercenary captured near Kupiansk after joining Russia’s war effort under deportation threat

A Cuban mercenary who claims he was forced into Russia’s war after being arrested in Moscow was captured by Ukrainian forces near Kupiansk, according to the 2nd Corps Khartia of Ukraine’s National Guard. Soldiers of the 127th Heavy Mechanized Kharkiv Brigade detained the man during combat in Kharkiv Oblast, where he was fighting alongside Russian troops.

Cuban mercenary seized near Kupiansk

The Cuban man, who went by the callsign “Nobody,” was captured with a wounded leg. According to the National Guard’s 2nd Corps, he had been working in Moscow before being detained by Russian police. He told his captors that he was given a choice: deportation or being sent to the front. He claims he was sent to fight against Ukraine against his will.

“I saw people dying all around me. I was scared. I cried because I didn’t understand why I ended up in the war,” the man stated in a video published by the 2nd Corps.

Ukrainian forces say he was taken near Kupiansk and is now in custody. The man claims he had been assigned to the front line despite his leg injury. He said only his capture by Ukrainian troops saved his life.

Not the only foreigner in Russian ranks

Recently, drone pilots from the aerial reconnaissance unit of the 127th Heavy Mechanized Kharkiv Brigade captured five Russian fighters. Among those taken prisoner were several Russian inmates and another foreign mercenary — this one from Kenya.