A Cuban teenager accepted a job offer to do construction work for the Russian military. Instead, he was sent to fight on the front lines of the war in Ukraine, TIME reported. Alex Vegas Díaz, 19, and a friend were taken to a military base, outfitted with weapons, and then sent to fight, according to TIME, which reviewed social media footage posted by Vegas Díaz. In one of the videos, dated August 31, which went viral, Vegas Díaz can be seen in a Russian hospital recovering from an unspecified illness. TIME reported that Vegas Díaz became part of a large operation that openly recruited hundreds of Cubans to join the Russian army to fight in Ukraine.

---

Persons: Alex Vegas Díaz, Vegas Díaz Organizations: TIME, US State Department, Service, Vegas, Ministry of Defence, Cuban Facebook, Cuban, State Department, Russia Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Cuba, Vegas, Russian, Russia, Cuban