Cuba Suffers Third Nationwide Blackout in Nine Days as US Fuel Blockade Bites
The collapse of the national grid, the fifth this year, deepens an energy crisis exacerbated by Washington’s oil embargo and aging infrastructure.
Cuba’s national electricity grid collapsed entirely on Tuesday, plunging all 9.6 million residents into darkness for the third time in less than ten days. The state utility UNE reported a “total disconnection” at 11:05 local time, the fifth nationwide blackout since January. Restoration took more than 24 hours in previous incidents, and with fuel reserves exhausted, the process is expected to be slow.
The repeated failures stem from a confluence of an ageing power system and a severe fuel shortage triggered by the United States. In January, President Donald Trump imposed an oil blockade after the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, cutting off Cuba’s main supplier. Subsequent US pressure led Mexico to halt shipments, leaving the island reliant on a single Russian tanker that arrived in March, whose reserves are now depleted. The country’s seven thermoelectric plants, most over 40 years old, suffer frequent breakdowns and cannot be supplemented by diesel generators due to the lack of imported fuel.
Washington has coupled the blockade with a widening sanctions campaign. On Monday, the State Department designated ten additional entities, including the Ministry of Tourism, fuel import-export firms, and paramilitary groups, under an executive order targeting those who “finance the regime.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the measures aim to force economic and political reforms. In Havana, the blackouts have sparked sporadic protests, with residents banging pots and burning rubbish. The tourism sector, once a priority for government investment, has collapsed: visitor numbers fell 58% in the first five months of 2026 compared to a year earlier, and hotel occupancy dipped below 13% in the first quarter. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez called the sanctions “criminal and genocidal,” while acknowledging that bilateral talks have made no progress.
Amid the tensions, a separate report in the regional press suggests that Cuban officials are courting Emirati investors to build a luxury resort on Cayo Santa María, with the project potentially bearing the name “Isla Trump.” The plan, reportedly involving a grandson of former President Raúl Castro, signals that elements within the government are seeking foreign investment despite the hostile political environment. For now, however, the immediate challenge is restoring power. The grid remains highly vulnerable, and with no new fuel deliveries in sight, further nationwide outages are likely.
| Russian & CIS press | −0.80 | critical |
|---|---|---|
| Arab Gulf press | 0.00 | neutral |
| Continental European press | −0.30 | critical |
| Latin American press | −0.90 | critical |
Cuba, a Russian ally, is being strangled by US sanctions that have caused the third blackout in nine days. The US blockade is the sole cause of the energy collapse.
The bloc presents the blackout as a direct consequence of US sanctions, omitting any internal factors, thereby projecting all responsibility onto the United States.
The bloc omits the role of Cuba's aging infrastructure and the fact that authorities have not disclosed the cause, focusing exclusively on US sanctions.
The blackout is a fact; no cause is assigned. The event is reported without attribution.
By omitting any causal explanation, the bloc presents the event as an isolated incident without political context, maintaining neutrality.
The bloc omits any mention of US sanctions or the aging infrastructure, leaving the event unexplained.
The US oil blockade is directly causing the repeated blackouts in Cuba, crippling its aging infrastructure.
The bloc establishes a clear causal chain from US sanctions to infrastructure collapse, using the phrase 'as a consequence' to make the link seem inevitable.
The bloc omits the role of internal Cuban factors such as lack of maintenance or the recent Turkish aid, focusing solely on US responsibility.
Washington's blockade is directly responsible for the suffering of the Cuban people, as the third blackout in nine days shows.
The bloc uses emotional language ('suffers', 'paralyze') and directly attributes the crisis to US sanctions, creating a narrative of victimhood and external aggression.
The bloc omits any mention of internal Cuban factors such as infrastructure age or lack of maintenance, and also omits the fact that the government has not disclosed the cause, instead assuming blame.
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