Cuba imports Russian oil after one year break amid outages

To help with power outages and gasoline shortages, 90,000 metric tons of Russian oil were delivered to the cash- and fuel-scarce nation over the weekend, according to state-run media in Cuba.  

Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia stopped sending oil to the Communist-run Caribbean island, but it started sending some again in 2022.  

Nevertheless, despite reports in Russian media in June that the two governments had negotiated a deal to supply 1.64 million metric tons of oil and derivatives yearly, shipping data indicates that no Russian oil left the nation for Cuba last year. 

The value of the shipment was estimated by Jorge Piñón, an energy expert at the University of Texas at Austin, to be $46 million. Piñón stated that it was too early to tell if the arrival of the oil meant regular shipments would resume. 

According to Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy, the Communist-run country needs 8 million metric tons of oil and equivalents annually, of which 3 million tons are produced locally. 

The principal oil source to Cuba is Venezuela, however recent exports have decreased. Mexico did not ship any oil to Cuba this year, but it did so last year. 

Since the start of the decade, Cuba has been engulfed in a crisis, with a 10% decline in GDP from 2019 levels, leading to a shortage of food, medicine, and other necessities. 

The government estimates that throughout this time, fuel usage has been about 6.5 million metric tons. It has stated that thus far this year, fuel imports have decreased even further, leading to longer blackouts and less gasoline. 

Growing socioeconomic tensions have resulted in enormous migration, mostly to the United States, and more turmoil than the island has experienced since the 1959 revolution. 

The Cuban government largely blames U.S. sanctions for the crisis and U.S. subversion for the unrest.