This is the story of Cubans living in Russia during a period of upheaval. A Cuban resident in Moscow explains how the situation unfolded: arriving in 2019, a year when about 28,000 Cubans entered Russia on tourist visas, their paths became tangled with the pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Facing irregular status, many found it hard to secure work and began to contemplate returning home. Lidia, another Cuban resident who preferred not to reveal her full name, echoed the sentiment that hard work should yield fair rewards for Cubans in Russia. Privacy led both to stay anonymous in their recounting.
“Cubans in Russia often operate in a difficult economy,” one interviewee notes, emphasizing the pressures that come with lacking legal status. The lack of formal work channels means companies rarely hire migrants directly; instead, they may be paid far below local market rates. Although Russia allowed some foreigners to participate in military efforts as volunteers, there is little record of Cubans on the front lines despite the high salaries that sometimes attract foreign workers who, in practice, remain irregular.
Today, many Cubans wish to return, but high airfare blocks the path. A volunteer assisting the Cuban community, Anna Voronkova, laments the expenses required to leave. She also highlights how the pandemic intensified hardship for many, leaving people with precarious employment. Marta, who describes his experiences in Moscow during the harsh winters, recalls sleeping on the streets and enduring subzero temperatures for months. Lidia notes that the Cuban government offered little support to those abroad, describing how tickets home could reach nearly 6,000 euros while the average monthly income hovered around 300 euros, with rent and daily essentials taking the majority of that sum.
The growth of the Cuban community
Over Marta’s two years in Russia, a significant number of Cubans joined the community in this Eurasian nation. Moscow became the focal point, as many hoped to move on to other European destinations, especially Spain or Italy. When everything was in reach back home, some believed the door to a better life was within sight, even as others faced fraud and scams tied to tickets, rentals, and business ventures that never paid as promised. A few pursued routes through Belarus, Serbia, Finland, or Belarus, though not all found success. “In my case, I explored Belarus but could not make it work,” he explains.
The island’s ongoing economic difficulties, worsened by the pandemic, pushed many Cuban citizens to seek opportunities abroad. Yet a larger wave did not materialize, and the relationship between Cubans abroad and those remaining on the island showed mixed results. A notable shift occurred at the end of 2020 and into early 2021, when a visible burst of Cuban activity emerged in Russia, followed by a wave of stories about scams and schemes related to travel, housing, and business ventures. Some individuals fulfilled limited obligations only to find the terms changed by month’s end.
Recently, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel met with some long-residing Cubans in the country to discuss issues relevant to citizens abroad. The visit highlighted ongoing challenges, including the supply of essential goods such as wheat, fertilizers, and hydrocarbons critical for Cuba, which remains economically vulnerable. Power outages persist in the island nation due to aging infrastructure and plants that struggle to meet demand. Despite these hurdles, Lidia notes that both Cubans abroad and those who stayed behind continue to share a sense of resilience and humor, often turning to memes to cope with the situation in Cuba. The mood remains mixed, with determination to persevere even as uncertainty persists.