The name Oemis Romagoza appeared on the identity documents from his native Cuba and his country of residence, Russia. His salsa and bachata students in the city of Petrozavodsk knew him by that name as well. However, the men he recruited for a network linked to Russian military intelligence (GRU) nicknamed him “Dios” (God).

According to an investigation by various European media outlets and judicial authorities, he used that alias and others on social media to recruit — primarily — Hispanic Americans seeking work in Europe. In reality, however, he was the recruiter and logistics handler for a network that orchestrated arson attacks and acts of sabotage in Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Lithuania between May and September 2024.

The investigation reveals that Romagoza would contact potential recruits, offer them seemingly ordinary jobs, coordinate their flights, accommodation, and transport, and subsequently issue instructions for specific operations.

One recruit, for instance, was a Colombian with military experience who carried out arson attacks in Warsaw and Radom before targeting a bus depot in Prague. Another individual, based in Lithuania, is linked to an attempted arson attack on the facilities of TVC Solutions, a company that manufactured equipment destined for Ukraine.

Due to these and other incidents, a court in the Southern District of New York placed Romagoza on an international wanted list this month. The U.S. Department of Justice also announced federal charges against two Russians, another Cuban, and a Venezuelan for an alleged conspiracy to finance acts of terrorism.

The Department of Justice indictment further alleges that Romagoza coordinated travel and logistics for the network’s operations and maintained ties to Yuri Khrameev, whom prosecutors identify as a member of Russian intelligence.

According to the document, the network allegedly recruited an individual residing in the United States to carry out the assassination of a prominent Russian dissident living in the Washington, D.C. area, as well as “several people based in the United States to conduct pre-operation surveillance and the assassination itself.”

Moscow’s reach extends far beyond the “human meat grinder” that the Russian-Ukrainian front has become, spilling blood well past its own borders.

In its drive to replenish depleted troop numbers, the Kremlin has drawn many Hispanics into the ranks of mercenary contingents. “God” reportedly played a key role in this recruitment, particularly regarding Cubans.

Thousands of island natives boarded planes bound for distant, freezing Russia, believing they would work in construction or the service industry. Power outages and shortages of food and medicine drove them to accept contracts paying around $2,000 a month to support the families they left behind.

Once in Europe, however, the “recruiters” had other plans. Upon arrival, the men were issued uniforms and rifles and sent to the front lines.

The case of the Cubans involves a distinct difference. While foreign legions — such as the North Korean one — enjoy public backing from their respective dictators, the Cuban contingent has seen the Castro leadership publicly distance itself from the initiative.

Late last year, Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, leader of the Cuban Resistance Assembly (ARC), stated at a press conference that the crimes and violations committed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine involved “the direct participation of the Cuban regime through the deployment of mercenaries recruited on the island in exchange for financial compensation.”

The Castro state “receives a bonus for every mercenary” fighting against Ukraine on the Russian side, Gutiérrez Boronat said.

During a visit to Kyiv, he personally met three of them — captured in Ukraine and identified as Frank Darío Jarrosay, Ernesto Michel Pérez, and Yusbel González.

A report by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War estimated that some 20,000 Cubans have served as mercenaries in the Russian army during the war. The average age of those who end up on the battlefield is 35. Meanwhile, the island has been experiencing a massive exodus of young people over the last five years, jeopardizing generational renewal within an already depressed national demographic.

According to the document, the treatment of Cubans in Russian ranks borders on modern-day slavery. It is impossible for these Cubans to terminate their contracts or contact family members or consular representatives from their home country. They face abuse and racism from commanders and fellow soldiers, as well as extortion by commanders or recruiters.

That hell into which “God” cast so many Hispanics might well come back to haunt him through the justice system under the Trump administration.