Article

Joandy Depalaza, a Cuban citizen known as 'Nobody', was captured by Ukrainian forces from the 127th separate heavy mechanized Kharkiv brigade in the Kupyansk direction. Depalaza, who had been in Moscow for eight months with an expired visa, reported that he faced constant police checks as an illegal migrant.

He claimed that Russian law enforcement offered migrants the choice of paying fines, deportation, or enlistment in the military. Despite not signing a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry, he was sent to the front six days after his arrest. Depalaza arrived in the war zone in August 2025 and has not received his documents or promised payments since.