Russia-Ukraine War: Cuban Troops Deploying To Belarus – Here is What You Need to Know

(By Christian Orr – Former Air Force Security Officer)

A few weeks ago, this 19FortyFive reporter had the honor and privilege of attending an event at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation’s (VOC) Museum titled “Totalitarianism: History, Legacy, and Lessons.” During the first panel, titled “What is Totalitarianism,” moderated by David Satter, former Moscow Bureau Chief for the Financial Times, one of the panelists, Orlando Gutierrez-Boronat, PhD, Spokesperson for the Cuban Democratic Directorate, made a rather stunning announcement that made the audience members’ ears perk up: earlier weeks back, the Cuban government signed an agreement with its counterparts in Belarus to send special forces troops to the latter country, apparently as a show of solidarity with one of Vladimir Putin’s key allies in his so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine.

The first thought that came to this reporter’s mind – and which I brought up during the Q&A segment – was “Why the hell isn’t this getting more coverage from the Western mainstream media?” followed by thoughts of the old Fidel Castro-Nikita Khrushchev alliance.

I decided this was a story that merited further research.

Cuban Troops to Belarus

Unable to find anything in the American press, we instead turn to the Euro ES Euro website, specifically a 19 May 2023 article with the straightforward title of “Cuban soldiers will receive training in Belarus.” To quote directly from the article:

“According to the official Belta agency, last Thursday the head of the Department of International Military Cooperation and Deputy Defense Minister for International Military Cooperation, Valery Revenko, met with the military, naval and air attaché at the Cuban Embassy in Russia and Belarus, Colonel Mónica Milian Gómez… The parties discussed the strengthening of mutually beneficial partnership relations between the Defense Ministries of Belarus and Cuba’…This is the first announcement of this type after last March the secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, will visit Cuba and meet with the heads of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) and the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), as well as with Miguel Díaz-Canel and Raúl Castro…This kind of meeting made it clear that the collaboration between Moscow and Havana, and now with Minsk, plus the one that has existed for a long time with China, is openly aimed at the repressive sphere.”

In other words, an unholy alliance just grew its membership rolls. Swell, just swell.

Cuban Armed Forces Capabilities

The above-cited report is as noteworthy for what it did not say as for what it did say. The report didn’t specify the number of troops that Cuba would send, whether conventional forces and/or special forces would be involved, or which specific branch(es) of the Cuban Armed Forces would participate. And of course, the Cuban and Belarusian officials conveniently omitted any mention about whether either country’s forces would directly (and belatedly) join Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.