Cuban salsa teacher in Russia recruited agents for sabotage across EU, DW finds
A Cuban salsa instructor living in Russia recruited Spanish-speaking operatives to carry out arson and other acts of sabotage in at least four EU countries, according to an investigation by Deutsche Welle and three other European broadcasters. Lithuanian prosecutors have linked the network to Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency.
The investigation identified the alleged coordinator as Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, a Cuban national who has lived in Russia for at least seven years and teaches salsa, bachata and other Latin dances at a studio in the northern city of Petrozavodsk. He later obtained Russian citizenship.
Online, Romagoza used the names “Adrian” and “Dios” - Spanish for “God” - and posted job advertisements on Telegram and in social media groups used by Latin Americans seeking work in Europe. Some ads sought people with military experience in surveillance, intelligence, logistics and tactical maneuvers, offering $1,500 plus a bonus for each completed operation.
DW and its partners said Romagoza recruited at least a dozen people for sabotage operations across Europe. Such recruits are often described as “disposable agents” - people hired online who may not know who ultimately employs them or the true purpose of their assignments.
Over four months in 2024, Romagoza allegedly instructed recruits to set fire to two construction-supply businesses in Poland, a bus garage in the Czech Republic, a recycling facility in Romania and equipment destined for Ukraine produced by a Lithuanian company.
One recruit was Luis Alfonso Murillo Diosa, a former Colombian soldier from a family of coffee farmers who had fallen into debt after several poor harvests. In early 2024, Murillo decided to join the Ukrainian military and entered a Facebook group for Latin Americans seeking information about fighting for Ukraine. There, he was contacted by “Dios.”
According to classified court documents reviewed by DW, Romagoza introduced himself as a member of a “special group” and offered Murillo “special missions” in Europe instead of traveling to Ukraine. He arranged Murillo’s flights, accommodation and ground transportation remotely, and the two never met in person.
After arriving in Bucharest, Murillo was sent a satellite image marking a recycling facility and an oil well. He was instructed to photograph the sites and later set a fire, but was detained after taking pictures near the recycling facility. Murillo told investigators he had intended to reach Ukraine, did not know who he was working for and never planned to commit arson. He was sentenced in 2025 to six years in prison for attempted sabotage.
At least nine people recruited by Romagoza have been arrested, according to DW. Two are serving prison sentences of six to eight years for attempted sabotage or terrorism, while others are awaiting trial.
Romagoza remains wanted by European authorities and may still be in Russia. In April, his Petrozavodsk dance studio posted a video showing him teaching a salsa class. Around the same time, DW found that he had joined at least two more Facebook groups for Latin Americans looking for work in Poland. He did not respond to the outlet’s requests for comment.