Photo: EPA
A nationwide power outage has hit Cuba amid a severe fuel shortage, with black-market gasoline prices soaring to $9 per liter.
The crisis intensified after the United States halted oil supplies to the island from Venezuela following the removal of President Nicolás Maduro in January. Cuba, a country of about 10 million people, relies heavily on imported oil for electricity generation.
According to state officials, equipment was operational at the time of the outage, while repeated blackouts in recent years have been linked both to U.S. sanctions and chronic underinvestment in the country’s aging energy infrastructure, as reported by CNN.
Deepening energy crisis
The disruption in fuel supplies has pushed the energy system to the brink:
- gasoline prices on the black market have reached $9 per liter
- filling a car can cost over $300, exceeding the average annual income for many Cubans
- internet traffic has dropped by more than half
- flights are being canceled due to aviation fuel shortages, including by Air Canada
President Miguel Díaz-Canel stated that no oil shipments have arrived in the past three months, calling the impact of the blockade “enormous,” particularly in the energy sector.
Social impact and protests
Residents of cities such as Morón have taken to the streets to protest:
- frequent blackouts
- food shortages
- limited access to fuel
The government has introduced emergency measures, including сокращення навчання, транспорту та масових заходів. Лікарні також скорочують послуги, а сміття накопичується через нестачу пального.
Trump’s statements
Amid the crisis, Donald Trump suggested that the U.S. could potentially “take over” Cuba in a “friendly” manner, adding that he could “do whatever he wants” with the country. However, he provided no concrete details when pressed about how such a scenario might unfold.
The U.S. administration has described Cuba as a potential threat, accusing it of aligning with hostile actors and hosting foreign military and intelligence presence — claims Havana has rejected.
Meanwhile, Democratic senators in the U.S. are reportedly preparing legislation to prevent any military action against Cuba without congressional approval.
