In April 2025, elTOQUE received a disturbing report: a group of young Cubans lured to Russia with false promises of legal work and a better life. Instead, they faced detention, forced labor, and threats. Lázaro’s story is just one of many.

Russia has extended Decree 1126, giving undocumented migrants—including thousands of Cubans—until September 10, 2025, to legalize their status or leave voluntarily. While the move offers temporary relief, strict requirements and regional inconsistencies fuel ongoing uncertainty.

As Russia tightens immigration laws, Cubans turn to Abkhazia for refuge—only to face legal uncertainty, economic hardship, and diplomatic isolation.

Thousands of Cubans in Russia face an uncertain future. Learn what the 2025 regularization process really means and what happens after the April deadline.

Some shouts in Russian followed by a loud bang, woke Yoel on a cool early morning of the Moscow summer. The hostel where he was staying, in the Vidnoe area, south of Moscow, was the epicenter of one of the frequent police raids on places that house migrants. More than 75 Cubans, including women and some minors, mostly in irregular situations, ended up that night in a police station.