Thu 12 February 2026:

Russia plans to send humanitarian aid in the form of oil and petroleum products to Cuba in the near future, according to the Russian Embassy in Havana.

“In the near future, there is expected delivery of oil and petroleum products from Russia to Cuba as humanitarian aid,” the embassy said in an interview with the Russian daily Izvestia.

The diplomatic mission said it maintains constant contact with Russian air carrier Aeroflot and Cuban aviation authorities to ensure the safe return of Russian citizens to their homeland.

Aeroflot announced that evacuation flights for Russians staying in Cuba will be organized from Varadero and Havana to Moscow.

On Wednesday, Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development recommended that Russian tourists refrain from traveling to Cuba and urged tour operators and travel agents to suspend sales due to an “extraordinary situation with fuel supply” in the country.

Fuel shortages in Cuba deepened after the US military captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3 and barred the acting authorities from supplying energy resources to the island. Venezuela had previously been one of the main exporters of oil to Cuba.

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Russia evacuates tourists

Russia is preparing to evacuate its citizens who are visiting Cuba, Moscow’s aviation authorities said, after a United States-imposed oil blockade on the island nation has choked off supplies of jet fuel.

“Due to the difficulties with refuelling aircraft in Cuba, Rossiya Airlines and Nordwind Airlines have been forced to adjust their flight schedules to airports in the country,” Russia’s federal aviation regulator Rosaviatsia said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Rossiya Airlines will operate a number of return flights only – from Havana and Varadero to Moscow – to ensure the evacuation of Russian tourists currently in Cuba,” the regulator said.

About 5,000 Russian tourists may be on the island, Russia’s Association of Tour Operators said earlier this week.

Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development separately called on citizens not to travel to Cuba amid its worst fuel crisis in years, caused by the US choking off supplies of oil from Venezuela following the US military’s abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in early January.

Russia’s TASS news agency said the Russian embassy in Havana is in contact with national carrier Aeroflot and Cuban aviation authorities to “ensure our citizens return home safely”.

Aeroflot has announced repatriation flights for Russians, TASS said, reporting also that the embassy in Havana told Russian media outlet Izvestia that Moscow plans to send humanitarian aid shipments of oil and petroleum products to Cuba.

While Cuba has been in a severe economic crisis for years, largely caused by longstanding US sanctions due to Washington’s antipathy towards Havana’s socialist leadership, the situation has become dire since the return of President Donald Trump to the White House.

Trump has directly threatened Cuba’s government and passed a recent executive order allowing for the imposition of trade tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba.

Cuba, which can produce just a third of its total fuel requirements, has seen widespread power outages due to the lack of fuel. Bus and train services have been cut, some hotels have closed, schools and universities have been restricted, and public sector workers are on a four-day work week.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last week of a humanitarian “collapse” in Cuba if its energy needs go unmet.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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