At 27, Khuan Alberto Leyva Garsiya was born in Mariupol to a Ukrainian mother and a Cuban father. Russian Indignation Over Cuban TiesHowever, his Cuban connection took on a different meaning for his captors, as he recounted at the United Nations. "The Russians were outraged that someone with a connection to Cuba, whom they see as an ally, was fighting against their occupying forces," Leyva Garsiya stated. A Fraught LiberationWhen finally freed in August 2025, Leyva Garsiya weighed only 121 pounds. While many Cubans have ended up fighting for Russia in the Ukraine invasion, Leyva Garsiya was born and raised in Ukraine and chose to defend his birthplace.