Reports have emerged that the Donald Trump administration informed the federal Congress that as many as 5,000 Cubans have joined the war in Ukraine to fight on Russia’s side.

On the 14th (local time), the U.S. online outlet Axios reported that a State Department report sent on the 8th to key congressional committees included the statement that “Cuban nationals have emerged as one of the largest identified groups among foreign fighters supporting Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.”

The report also stated, “Estimates vary, but aggregating publicly available information suggests that at any given time roughly 1,000 to 5,000 Cubans appear to be participating in combat in Ukraine,” adding, “Ukrainian intelligence authorities estimate that thousands of them have been directly deployed to the front lines in Ukraine.”

Reuters reported last October that, as the Trump administration instructed diplomats to lobby foreign governments to oppose a United Nations General Assembly resolution related to Cuba, it sent this information to U.S. missions worldwide. Since 1992, the General Assembly has annually passed by large margins a resolution urging the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Cuba.

The report sent to Congress is five pages long and was not classified or marked for restricted distribution. While noting there is no evidence that the Cuban side officially dispatched all the fighters, the report added that “there are notable indications that raise suspicion the Cuban regime knowingly condoned or allowed, or selectively supported them.”

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Axios, “The Cuban regime has failed to prevent its citizens from being used as pawns in the Russia-Ukraine war.”

Cuban American U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said, “The Cuban regime is damaging U.S. interests globally,” adding, “If President Trump replaces them, it will be a very good day for the United States and its allies. I believe that will happen soon.” President Trump has previously continued to say since January, after ousting Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, that Cuba could be next.