Elena Smirnova

Full name: Elena Smirnova (maiden name: Shuvalova)

Name in Russian: Елена Смирнова (maiden name: Шувалова)

Nationality: Russian

Legal status: 

• UK Sanctions: GIM0053 - asset freeze, travel ban, director disqualification (May 5, 2026, Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons Sanctions Regulations 2025)
• Criminal case for theft opened April 2024; remanded in pre-trial detention (SIZO); requested permission from investigators to sign a military contract as alternative to prison (lawyer's letter dated October 23, 2024); according to reports in media serving in Russia's Storm V assault company, 1st Guards Tank Army

What She Did

From March 2023, Smirnova used social media - posting under her maiden name Shuvalova - to recruit Cuban and Sri Lankan nationals for the Russian military. The ads offered well-paid civilian work in Russia: a one-time payment, a monthly salary of 204,000 rubles (~$2,000 USD), and the long-term prospect of Russian citizenship. In Cuba, where average monthly wages are around $30, this was a life-changing sum for anyone who believed it.

Upon arriving in Russia, recruits were taken to the military contract-signing point in Ryazan and presented with Russian-language documents. Most spoke no Russian and did not understand what they were signing. They were sent to fight in Ukraine.

At its peak, Smirnova's operation processed 30 to 40 recruits per day. She and her associates had a dedicated office inside the Ryazan regional transport department building, near the military selection centre. A letter from her lawyer to Russia's Human Rights Commissioner - obtained by Ukrainian MP Maryan Zablotskyy and passed to investigative journalists - stated she had sent more than 3,000 foreign nationals to the war.

The operation had three known co-conspirators. Olga Shilyaeva, 40, a Russian woman who worked part-time as a hairdresser and whose husband is a serviceman linked to the Dyagilevo military airfield, joined the network in May 2023 and handled paperwork and military contracts. Dayana Echemendia Diaz, 37, a Cuban national living in Ryazan, had her phone number in the recruitment ads and is identified by many deceived Cubans as a key contact - she denies involvement. Oleg Koveshnikov, 56, a former private security employee, vetted prospective recruits, demanding passport copies and registration data, which he claimed were needed for FSB checks.

An additional layer of fraud operated beneath the recruitment itself. Because recruits could not read Russian, many handed Smirnova their bank cards and account access. She deducted amounts she described as reimbursement for travel and accommodation. A criminal complaint filed by several Cubans in April 2024 alleged she was taking more than agreed. A criminal case for theft was opened against her and she was remanded in custody.

A Russian court document, presented to US Congress members by Ukrainian MP Zablotskyy in September 2025, showed that Smirnova admitted to embezzling the salaries of hundreds of Cuban fighters. In exchange for leniency, she offered to recruit up to 7,000 more Cubans for Russia.

While in detention, Smirnova asked investigators for permission to sign a military contract and serve as an interpreter in radio intelligence units - rather than face a long prison term. Her lawyer's letter to Russia's Human Rights Commissioner, dated October 23, 2024, pressed for this to be approved. The exact timing of her departure to the front is not confirmed by the investigation. An acquaintance of both Smirnova and Shilyaeva told journalists that both women are now serving in the Storm V assault company attached to a brigade of Russia's 1st Guards Tank Army.

Shilyaeva's path there was darker. Her sister wrote on VKontakte that Shilyaeva was sent to the front "by deception" from SIZO. Sources indicate she ended up in the "Zaitsevo prison" - a documented detention and torture basement in Russian-occupied Luhansk used for soldiers who refuse orders or are accused of violations. Shilyaeva is believed to have been sent to the front no later than May 2025.

The UK Government sanctioned Smirnova on May 5, 2026. Its statement of reasons reads: "She engaged in the recruitment of Cuban nationals using deception for the purposes of exploitation. Using social media and other forms of communication, she advertised well paid civilian jobs within Russia but, upon the recruits' arrival in Russia, they were forced to fight against their will in Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine. The recruits faced menaces including verbal abuse, threats and imprisonment."

Whether the Ryazan scheme was an independent criminal enterprise or operated with the knowledge of Russian state structures remains unresolved. The investigative team found no direct documented link between Smirnova and Russian intelligence or military command. Her lawyer's letter refers to unspecified "offers" she received to organise foreign fighters' flights and contract signings.

Source: Currenttime.tv