Due to severe energy shortages, the power supply in Cuba has once again collapsed across large areas. The oil reserves supplied by Russia have now been “depleted,” Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy stated on state television on Thursday. Near the capital, Havana, power outages sparked protests—an occurrence that is relatively rare on the communist Caribbean island. The crisis had intensified in recent weeks due to the U.S. blockade of Venezuelan oil shipments.
The situation is “very tense,” said the Energy Minister. He held the United States responsible for the severe energy shortages. “The effects of the blockade are indeed inflicting significant damage upon us,” he said, noting that Cuba is “still receiving no fuel.” On Wednesday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel accused Washington of a “genocidal energy blockade.”
A resident of San Miguel del Padrón, a suburb of Havana, told the news agency AFP about a protest against the power outages. On Wednesday evening, residents reportedly vented their frustration by banging on pots and pans. According to AFP reporters, several similar small protests took place in various neighborhoods across the capital. In Playa, a district in western Havana, residents reportedly chanted slogans such as “Turn on the lights,” among others.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio renewed his offer of $100 million (approximately €85 million) in aid—albeit on the condition that the funds be distributed by the Catholic Church, bypassing the Cuban government. “We are ready to learn the details of the proposal and its implementation,” Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez stated on social media on Thursday in response.
Cuba is currently in the midst of its most severe economic crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In Havana, daily power outages lasting more than 19 hours have become routine, while in several provinces, blackouts persist for days on end. Public transportation across the island nation has been curtailed, and gasoline has been rationed. Several airlines have now ceased flying to the Caribbean island due to the prevailing fuel shortages.
In January, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured during a U.S. military operation and brought to the United States. Subsequently, Washington ensured that Venezuela—until then Cuba’s most important oil supplier—halted its deliveries. In late January, U.S. President Donald Trump then threatened countries supplying oil to Cuba with additional U.S. punitive tariffs.
Nevertheless, in late March—for the first time since the U.S. blockade against Cuba began in late January—an oil tanker carrying Russian crude oil arrived at a Cuban port. Trump had previously stated that he would permit the Russian tanker’s passage.
AFP translated by Blackout News