Cuba has suffered another nationwide blackout, leaving millions without electricity amid severe fuel shortages and US restrictions on oil supplies. It is at least the sixth major outage the island has experienced since the start of the year.
Under a hostile US embargo for decades, Cuba has faced worsening fuel shortages since Venezuela, previously Havana’s main oil supplier, stopped shipments following the US capture of President Nicolas Maduro in January, 2026.
US President Donald Trump subsequently declared a national emergency over Cuba, moving to block oil shipments to the island and threatening tariffs against countries that continued supplying it. Trump has repeatedly said he intends to take Cuba “one way or another,” and described regime change there as a “question of time.”
Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines said the latest grid collapse was triggered on Friday by a transmission-line failure in the western part of the country and compounded by unstable weather.
Officials immediately activated restoration protocols, gradually bringing generating facilities back online. Power had returned to parts of the island by Saturday.
Cuba’s electricity system relies heavily on aging oil-fired power plants, many of which have operated for decades and require frequent maintenance. Fuel shortages and difficulties obtaining spare parts have forced generating units offline, leaving the grid with little spare capacity when other facilities fail.
Washington has meanwhile stepped up economic pressure on Havana. On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new sanctions targeting Cuba’s nickel sector, following measures imposed on state oil company CUPET in June, 2026.
Russia, China, Mexico, and several other countries have provided humanitarian assistance to Cuba. Russia delivered around 700,000 barrels of oil in late March, one of the few major fuel shipments to reach the island since US restrictions were tightened.
Russia and China should stop the US Naval Fuel Blockade of Cuba
The worsening shortages have disrupted electricity, transportation, water supplies, and healthcare. In June, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned that children [in Cuba] are dying because doctors lack access to essential medical supplies and medicines.
Such severe sanctions packages that target entire sectors of an economy and produce broad, indiscriminate and harsh effects on populations are incompatible with basic principles of international human rights law, he said.
RT. com / ABC Flash Point News 2026.
I cannot find any information that Russia is still supplying humanitarian aid in the shape of oil to Cuba as of this month , many of the local nations like Mexico /Venezuela have been warned off by Donald ( but if anybody knows different ?). I find it hard to accept that Donald hasn’t stopped supplying aid to Ukraine of one sort or another while stopping Russia doing the same to its friend Cuba . I would force the issue and if blocked by the USA then I would retaliate on any help to Ukraine by blocking the USA /EU/UK–completely… Read more »
China, Russia, India, all should help Cuba.
The USA turned Ukraine into its supplying weapons hub for its global terrorist organizations/
BRICS should combine to send fuel to Cuba challenging USA’s (and Israel) illegal and absurd claim of UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION.
You are right, but Modi is a snake, more concerned with money and on the side of the USA.
God, the Indian haters on RT are so ridiculously ignorant and vile. You do realize that India sent 20 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Cuba via Indian Air Force following Hurricane Melissa last year right ? Or that we have dispatched 90 tonnes of pharmaceuticals to Cuba produce essential antibiotics. We are also in the process of dispatching 20-tonne HADR consignments featuring power generators, shelter support, hygiene kits, and many mobile medical trauma units. We can do NOTHING about oil as we are not an oil producer, only a refiner and US loves to sink incoming oil. So humanitarian relief… Read more »
While acknowledging the humanitarian relief supplied to Cuba from India BRICS –you have to acknowledge that India supplies artillery shells to Ukraine its plastered all over the web if you look for it . Russia protested to India but got nowhere and if you cant find the info let me know and I will supply links ? What MMPCP is getting at is the hypocrisy just like the Turkish leader playing both sides to the middle in US/Russia relations . BTW- its CC not RT . No we don't "hate" India, the criticism is justified Modi doesn't hide the fact… Read more »
This isn’t RT -BRICS and Modi leaves himself open to criticism by supplying military shells to Ukraine.
It seems I am not allowed to reply to you BRICS by pointing out a discrepancy in your logic .
Why cant I reply to BRICS ?
This was the moment that my settings got changed without my knowledge.
Thanks for that Baronmaya you tell the truth which is more than can be said for some where I live..
My posts were actually barred up came in red top right — “your post is not allowed ” .
I am, glad you are back in control if you believe in a Higher Being you can stand before Him without fear —even if you don’t believe a person having a Righteous Heart stands out in this world where “the Truth is a Lie and a Lie is the truth. “
Thanks, coming from you I really appreciate your patience and tour trust. Avanguard.
[…] Cuba plunges into darkness amid Nationwide Blackout […]