Four young Cubans from Ciego de Ávila died in a fire at an improvised hostel in Balashikha, east of Moscow, amid extreme cold. The blaze got out of control as they tried to stay warm in a house without power due to owners' debts. Russian authorities detained the owner's representative, with the probe ongoing.
Russia's harsh winter has claimed a heavy toll on four Cuban migrants seeking better lives away from their island. In Balashikha, a working-class area east of the capital, a fire in a dacha turned hostel killed Yadisley, Arisleidy, Ángel Gabriel, and Lisvey, all under 35 and from Gaspar in Baraguá municipality, Ciego de Ávila.
These young people left Cuba a year ago, drawn by affordable flights and visa-free entry allowing an initial three-month stay. Without support networks or language skills, they soon became undocumented. They first worked at a dairy factory on Moscow's outskirts but moved to Balashikha after losing the job, a hub for hundreds of Cubans. There, they shared the hostel with about 20 compatriots in dire conditions.
Six days without electricity, with temperatures plunging to 30 degrees below zero, forced them to improvise a fire for warmth, sparking the deadly blaze. A neighbor from Cuba, Dionnys, now in Russia, recalls them as hardworking: “Arisleidy was my daughter's teacher. Yadisley worked for Water and Sewage. The guys got by fixing appliances or making soft drinks.”
Anayansi, another Cuban there, described the plight: “Five days without power, in that brutal cold, working in the snow. Landlords don't pay utilities, and we migrants suffer.” Since 2024, fines for renting to irregular foreigners have intensified hardships, driving migrants into dachas or overcrowded rooms lacking fire safeguards.
On January 29, 2025, authorities detained the owner's representative, who had rented the property to undocumented migrants from March 2025 to January 2026 without safety briefings. Stories like that of Alina and Jorge from Camagüey highlight the struggles: frequent moves, discrimination, and exploitation. “You emigrate out of necessity, to eat and support your family, but you lose health and, sometimes, your life,” reflects Yenia, a Cuban engineer in Russia.
This tragedy underscores the legal and social limbo faced by thousands of Cubans in Russia, where winter turns vulnerability into a deadly gamble.
