The Canadian Network on Cuba issues this statement in the strongest possible terms to categorically reject and condemn the recent spurious, unfounded, and politically motivated claims that Cuba is involved in the recruitment or deployment of mercenaries to the conflict in Ukraine.
These allegations are not only demonstrably false but represent a dangerous and cynical fabrication designed to tarnish Cuba’s impeccable international record and draw a peaceful nation into a foreign conflict against its sovereign will and foundational principles.
Cuba has a long and storied history of internationalism, rooted in the principle of solidarity. This has been manifested for decades through the selfless work of its medical brigades, educators, and scientists who have provided humanitarian assistance to the world’s most vulnerable populations. To conflate this legacy of humanitarianism with the brutal and illicit trade of mercenarism is a profound distortion of reality and an insult to the thousands of Cuban professionals who have saved lives and built capacity in over 120 nations.
Furthermore, Cuba’s opposition to mercenarism is a matter of both law and state policy. The nation is a signatory to international conventions that explicitly prohibit the recruitment and use of mercenaries. This commitment is enshrined within its own legal framework. Cuba has zero tolerance for any form of human trafficking and the participation of its nationals in any armed conflict in another country. To suggest that the Cuban government would flagrantly violate its own laws and the very international norms it has consistently championed, is not credible. As a matter of fact, upon detecting the presence of Cuban nationals in the conflict in Ukraine, steps were taken to
neutralize recruitment, undertaken by organizations outside of Cuba and with no connection to the Cuban government whatsoever, and criminal proceedings were initiated. Forty defendants have been charged, culminating in convictions, and with some pending sentencing and trial.
The United States government has not and cannot provide any evidence to support their false accusations of mercenarism in their latest smear campaign against Cuba. The timing and nature of these accusations suggest a political objective far removed from the pursuit of truth. They appear designed to serve as a pretext for further escalation and to unjustly pressure and isolate Cuba on the world stage. We note with concern that such baseless claims have been propagated by the same sources that have, for over six decades, sustained a cruel and comprehensive economic, commercial, and financial blockade against the Cuban people—a policy condemned year after year by the overwhelming majority of the United Nations General Assembly.
The Canadian Network on Cuba stands in firm solidarity with the people of Cuba. We echo the Cuban government’s firm and repeated denials of these allegations and its reaffirmation of a foreign policy international law and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
In this moment of global instability, the world needs bridges of solidarity, not walls of hostility. It needs the example of Cuban doctors, not the fiction of Cuba-sponsored mercenaries. The Canadian Network on Cuba remains committed to defending the truth and to strengthening the bonds of friendship and understanding between the peoples of Canada and Cuba.
Samantha Hislop & Julio Fonseca
Co-Chairs
Canadian Network on Cuba
Leave a Reply