Russia will dispatch a second oil tanker to Cuba as the Caribbean island struggles under a US fuel embargo that has triggered widespread blackouts and economic hardship, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev announced Thursday.
The announcement came just days after the sanctioned Russian vessel Anatoly Kolodkin delivered 730,000 barrels of crude oil to Cuba's Matanzas port on Tuesday โ the first oil shipment to reach the island since January. That cargo could produce approximately 180,000 barrels of diesel, sufficient to meet Cuba's daily fuel demand for nine to ten days.
A vessel from the Russian Federation broke through the blockade. A second one is now being loaded. We will not leave the Cubans in trouble
Sergei Tsivilev, Russian Energy Minister โ Russian state media
Cuba's energy crisis deepened dramatically in January when US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolรกs Maduro, cutting off the island's primary oil supplier. Venezuela had been providing crucial fuel shipments to its Caribbean ally, but those deliveries ceased following Maduro's removal from power.
The Trump administration subsequently threatened tariffs against any nation selling or supplying oil to Cuba, effectively creating what Russian officials describe as a total blockade. Mexico, which had been providing some oil shipments, halted its deliveries following Trump's tariff warnings.
Euronews presents the story as a humanitarian crisis, emphasizing Cuba's energy shortages and the impact on vulnerable populations. The outlet frames Russia's actions as breaking through a blockade to help an isolated ally.