Cuba Plunged into Darkness Amid Economic Pressures and U.S. Blockade
Translated from Romanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Cuba is experiencing a near-total nationwide blackout, affecting nearly 10 million people, marking at least the third major outage in six months.
- The energy crisis is exacerbated by U.S. sanctions that have restricted oil shipments from Cuba's main suppliers since January 2026.
- The government is working to restore power, but planned outages have extended to 18-70 hours daily, severely impacting daily life, including food supply, transportation, and education.
Cuba is grappling with a severe nationwide electricity blackout that has left approximately 10 million people without power. This incident marks at least the third major outage in six months and the eighth since late 2024, underscoring a deepening energy crisis.
The problem is between YOU and ME. I have never said anything against France. On the contrary, I love France.
The national electricity company, Union Electrica de Cuba (UNE), confirmed the complete system shutdown and is investigating the structural collapse. The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, stated that efforts are underway to reconnect the grid, with emergency micro-systems activated for critical infrastructure.
Your arrogance and contempt infuriated me long before the match, when you said: 'If we have to get into the mud, we will.' We are not fools. We understood very well that by 'mud' you meant the Paraguayan national team, and the national team represents all of us.
The island's energy situation has deteriorated significantly since January 2026, following stringent U.S. restrictions on crude oil shipments from Cuba's primary suppliers. This economic pressure has had profound effects on the population, with planned power outages now lasting between 18 and 70 hours daily in some regions.
Without even covering your mouth, you shouted 'La concha de tu madre,' an extremely offensive curse in Latin America, and you know it.
These prolonged blackouts have disrupted essential services. Lack of refrigeration has halted meat and dairy deliveries, fuel shortages have crippled public transport, and garbage collection has faltered. Universities and schools have shifted to remote learning, while hospitals are only handling emergency cases. Cuban President Miguel Dรญaz-Canel has accused Washington of attempting to provoke social unrest through economic suffocation, urging citizens towards "creative resistance."
You showed complete indifference to the health condition of our goalkeeper. This is not done. Respect between opponents after a match is almost sacred, whether in war or peace, in victory or defeat.
Originally published by Adevฤrul in Romanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.