US imposes sanctions on Cuba's military attache in Russia

US sanctions Cuba's military attachés in Russia and China

The United States has sanctioned five Cuban companies and eight individuals, including Cuba’s military attachés in Russia and China, over their alleged role in procuring military equipment for the island’s armed forces. The move, announced Thursday by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, targets entities and people accused of helping Cuba acquire military hardware from Russia and China.

Among those newly designated are Waldo Perez Cortes, Cuba’s military, naval and air attaché in Beijing, and Monica Milian Gomez, the attaché in Moscow, according to reports from TASS and the South China Morning Post. The US State Department said Perez Cortes, an official of Cuba’s Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR), had been involved in the procurement of military-related equipment from China to Cuba, though it did not specify the equipment, suppliers or transactions involved, as reported by the South China Morning Post.

Coverage comparison

The three outlets covering the story differed in their focus. Al Jazeera anchored its report on statements by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who framed the sanctions as a response to Cuba’s ties with Russia, China and Iran, and repeated President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy. The South China Morning Post and TASS instead reported the designations with a more procedural emphasis, detailing the list of sanctioned individuals and entities and quoting official US statements. TASS, the Russian state agency, noted that the sanctions list includes the Yuri Gagarin defense industry enterprise, Tecnotex, Tecnoimport, Duna and UIM, all registered in Havana.

Key Claims

• The US sanctioned five Cuban companies and eight individuals accused of helping Cuba procure military equipment, according to Al Jazeera and TASS.
• Waldo Perez Cortes, Cuba’s military attaché in Beijing, was among those added to the US Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list, as reported by the South China Morning Post and TASS.
• TASS also reported that Monica Milian Gomez, Cuba’s military attaché in Moscow, is subject to the new restrictions.
• The sanctions freeze any assets the targeted entities hold in the US and bar Americans from doing business with them, as stated by the South China Morning Post.
• Al Jazeera reported that the sanctions reflect US concerns about Cuba’s efforts to buy and maintain military equipment while strengthening ties with countries like Russia, Iran and China.

Perspectives

US State Department

The US State Department justified the designations by accusing the sanctioned individuals of helping Cuba procure military equipment from China, without providing details on specific transactions or suppliers. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Cuba’s government as a “rogue state” and a threat to US national security, citing its ties to Russia, China and Iran.

Cuban government

No official Cuban government response was included in the available coverage. However, the Cuban state news agency Prensa Latina was quoted identifying Perez Cortes as a senior colonel serving as Cuba’s military, naval and air attaché in Beijing, a detail that did not contradict the US allegations but provided biographical context.