One of the Cuban dictatorship’s leading means of forced labor exploitation has for decades been the compulsory military service. It violates the Protocol on Trafficking in Persons and other international accords, forces minors --under 18-- to serve, and now delivers Cubans to kill Ukrainians in the invasion of their homeland.
Cuba has a large captive pool of men with military training or seeking to avoid their country’s harsh compulsory service who are forbidden from leaving the country unless so authorized. Desperate to escape poverty and hopelessness, hundreds are enlisting as mercenaries for Russia. They risk their lives for around $26,000 a year, a ticket out of Cuba, and a few other benefits while Cuba’s bankrupt regime secures more oil, food, and perhaps a commission from Russia.
For decades, Cuba’s compulsory military service has exploited young men as forced labor and subjected them to deplorable conditions. Many commit suicide, harm themselves seeking a discharge, die in senseless accidents, or end up in prison for deserting or dead in mysterious circumstances. Cuba Archive has documented 20 non-combat fatalities just in 2022 and 2023, including 2 minors. 
The Cuban regime has long rented out its citizens for senseless combats in faraway lands. The Castro brothers forced 377,000 to serve in the Angola war (1975-1991), most for three years, earning billions collecting $1,000 per month per soldier, who were, in turn, paid just $8 to $17 a year. At least 2,085 were killed, and many thousands returned mutilated, traumatized, and mentally ill.
[ See the article in Global Americans based on Cuba Archive’s in-depth report. ]