Investigation: Cuban national recruited people for GRU-directed terror attacks in Europe

A joint investigation by journalists from several countries has revealed that Oemis Romagosa, a Cuban citizen living in Russia who earns his living teaching salsa and bachata, has been acting as a recruiter for Russia's GRU military intelligence service. Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported the findings on Monday.

According to the journalists, Romagosa mainly targeted job seekers from Latin American countries on social media — people who could travel freely within the Schengen area. Between May and September 2024, he is believed to have coordinated GRU-planned terror attacks in Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Lithuania.

Attempted attack in Šiauliai

In Lithuania, Romagosa is linked to attempts in September 2024 to set fire to mobile radio-frequency spectrum analysis stations stored on the premises of the company TVC Solutions. The equipment was destined for Ukraine and could also be used for drone detection; the company had already manufactured more than half of the order — 18 of 30 stations. On September 17 and 22, attempts were made to set the equipment, worth over €1.5 million, on fire; in one instance the fuel ignited but the fire did not spread to the equipment.

Citizens of Colombia, Cuba, Spain, Belarus and Russia were recruited for the Lithuanian operation, with flights, hotels and taxis covered for them. According to their lawyers, some of the suspects did not know GRU was actually behind the operation, believing instead they were intimidating business competitors.

Romagosa sought recruits through Telegram and Facebook groups, in some cases specifically looking for people with military experience. One Colombian recruit carried out two attacks in Poland — in Warsaw and Radom — in May 2024, and later set fire to a bus depot in Prague. Another Colombian was detained in Romania while preparing to set fire to a waste-processing plant.

An international arrest warrant has been issued for Romagosa. The investigation was conducted by LRT together with Germany's Deutsche Welle, Czech public broadcasting and the European Broadcasting Union's investigative journalism platform. In April, a court in Šiauliai began hearing a case against seven people — citizens of Belarus, Colombia, Russia, Cuba and Spain — charged with membership in a terrorist group, attempted terrorism and financing terrorism in connection with the attacks on TVC Solutions.