Cuba’s energy minister confirmed diesel and fuel oil stocks are fully exhausted, leaving Havana with up to 22 hours of daily blackouts.
Key Takeaways
A single Russian gift of 730,000 barrels in March was Cuba’s last external supply; it is now gone.
The grid runs only on domestic crude, natural gas, and renewables, producing a 2,000 MW overnight shortfall.
Trump’s January executive order cut off Venezuelan oil, threatened sanctions on Mexico and any other supplier.
The U.S. State Department says it offered $100M in humanitarian aid via the Catholic Church; Cuba’s foreign minister called it a “fable.”
GAESA and Moa Nickel S.A. were sanctioned May 7; GAESA controls roughly 40% of Cuba’s economy.
Hacker News Comment Review
Commenters broadly agree the embargo’s direct effect on ordinary Cubans is the intended outcome, not a side effect, making “blames” framing in the headline misleading.
There is consensus that Cuba’s government also bears responsibility for misallocating GAESA revenues, but commenters treat U.S. policy as the proximate cause of the current fuel crisis.
Notable Comments
@alterom: argues “blames” implies doubt where none is warranted; the embargo cutting fuel supply was the stated goal.
