Cuba is not against its citizens fighting on Russia's side in Ukraine, RIA cites envoy

The silhouette of the city is seen through a Cuban flag during a protest against the U.S. economic embargo in Cuba, in Madrid, Spain, July 26, 2021. REUTERS/Juan Medina/File photo

(Reuters) - Cuba is not against the legal participation of its citizens in Russia's war in Ukraine, state-run RIA news agency reported on Thursday, citing the Cuban envoy to Moscow, despite Havana's crackdown on trafficking of Cubans to fight for the Kremlin.

Last week Cuban authorities said they had arrested 17 people on charges related to a ring of human traffickers that allegedly had lured young Cuban men to serve in the Russian military amid the Ukraine conflict.