English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Experts estimate it will take between 15 and 20 days to process the crude oil and convert it into diesel, and another week to deliver the refined product. 14ymedio, Havana, March 31, 2026 / No oil tanker that has sustained Cuba’s energy system for decades had generated as much anticipation as the Anatoly Kolodkin , … Continue reading “Russian Oil Tanker ‘Anatoly Kolodkin’ Docks in Matanzas: “The AK We Need Now””
If the U.S. does not intervene, it will be the first fuel delivery since January 14ymedio, Havana, March 29, 2026 – Russia has tested the pressure of the United States on energy supply to Cuba with the dispatch of the tanker Anatoly Kolodkin, a ship loaded with crude oil heading toward the Island and whose … Continue reading “The Anatoly Kolodkin Is Scheduled To Arrive This Monday in Cuba With 730,000 Barrels of Russian Crude”
The New York Times points to suspicions that the vessel may be gathering intelligence as it passes through the Caribbean. 14ymedio, Havana, March 26, 2026 – U.S. concerns surrounding the Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin, which is heading toward Cuba, thus defying U.S. sanctions imposed on both Russia and Cuba, have put the U.S. Navy on … Continue reading “The Proximity of the Tanker Anatoly Kolodokin Sets Off Alarms About Russian Espionage in Cuba”
Russian oil barrels are giving the capital a respite that will be short-lived according to the Cuban government’s own data. 14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, April 22, 2026 – “Today at four in the morning I went up to the rooftop and was impressed. It had been a long time since I’d seen all of … Continue reading “Cuba’s Official Social Media Celebrates a “Lit Up” City: Havana Regains Light and Buses for a Few Hours”
The 730,000 barrels received provide a breath of fresh air to the regime for a few weeks, but do not lift Cuba out of its energy crisis. 14ymedio, Havana, April 19, 2026 — The Cuban government is trying to present the refining of 100,000 tons of crude oil donated by Russia in Cienfuegos as a … Continue reading “Cuba’s Largest Oil Company, Cupet, Begins Distributing Fuels Obtained From Russian Oil”
It is suspected that the Ñico López has suffered damage caused by a fire in February 14ymedio, Havana/Madrid, April 14, 2026 – Almost two weeks have passed since the Anatoly Kolodkin docked in Matanzas with 750,000 barrels of Russian crude, and the Ñico López refinery in Havana, which is supposed to convert the oil into … Continue reading “The Havana Refinery Is Not Operating and All Russian Oil Was Taken to Cienfuegos”
What must they be thinking in Washington and Moscow about the bovine logistics introduced by Havana in the “war of all the people”? 14ymedio,Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, April 11, 2026 – Social media of the regime have once again delivered one of those scenes conceived halfway between parody, mockery, and Cuban-style ridicule. In the videos … Continue reading “A Pair of Oxen and a Cart, the Latest Innovations in Cuba’s Military Strategy”
An envoy from Moscow gives no details about this cooperation and limits himself to noting that it involves restarting the Antillana de Acero plant, paralyzed by the lack of electricity 14ymedio, Havana, April 11, 2026 – Speaking Friday, the Russian Deputy Minister of Industry Roman Chekushov said, “We discussed with our Cuban partners that Russian companies … Continue reading “Russia ‘Is Working on an Energy Supply Plan’ That Includes Sending Another Oil Tanker to Cuba”
Moscow reiterates its “100% solidarity with Cuba” and its intention to remain in the region 14ymedio, Madrid, April 10, 2026 – Nine days after the Anatoly Kolodkin docked at the port of Matanzas with 730,000 barrels of crude oil, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, entered the Palace of the Revolution ready to receive praise … Continue reading “Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov Denounces the United States’ “’Obsession’ With Expelling Russia From the ‘Western Hemisphere’”
La ‘bola’ — the rumor — about free internet access through Starlink revealed that more and more Cubans and small private businesses are obtaining this expensive and illegal system 14ymedio, Havana, April 10, 2026 – March once again showed that in Cuba, rumors are not mere gossip but a way of surviving informationally in a … Continue reading “March Rumors Fantasized About Russian Oil and the Fall of Díaz-Canel”
“At this rate, five Cubans with pots and pans could very well open the Strait of Hormuz.” 14ymedio, Havana, April 9, 2026 — Protests against the prolonged power outages, involving banging pots and pans, are no longer confined to nighttime. This Wednesday, the pot-banging protests took place again in several neighborhoods of the capital, with … Continue reading “Pot-Banging Protests Erupted in Broad Daylight During Wednesday’s Demonstrations in Havana”
“It cannot be properly measured in kopeks, dollars, or pesos,” says Sergei Ryabkov. 14ymedio/EFE, Madrid/Moscow, April 3, 2026 – The friendship between Russia and Cuba is enduring, declared Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, on Friday, stating that Moscow will continue supporting Havana despite U.S. pressure on the Island. “It cannot be properly measured in … Continue reading “Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Calls the Friendship Between Moscow and Havana an “Enduring Value””
During his visit to Russia, Pérez-Oliva secured promises of support from Putin’s government 14ymedio, Havana, April 2, 2026 – Moscow is preparing a second shipment of crude oil to Cuba following the arrival of the Anatoly Kolodkin, authorized by the United States after three months of an oil blockade on the Island, reported Russian Energy … Continue reading “Moscow Seeks to “Break the U.S. Energy Blockade” with the Shipment of a Second Oil Tanker to Cuba”
On an island that is sinking, the arrival of a Russian oil tanker dominates all conversations in the streets of Havana. 14ymedio,Yoani Sánchez, Havana, March 30, 2026 — “The ship is coming!” a flower vendor on Estancia Street greets me as I pass by his buckets of sunflowers and gladioli. After days of uncertainty, it … Continue reading “Havana Chronicles: The Shipwreck of a Ship Called “Cuba””
The U.S. president assures that anyone can send crude to the Island, despite the sanctions in force until now. 14ymedio, Madrid, March 30, 2026 – U.S. president Donald Trump downplayed the arrival of the Anatoly Kolodkin, loaded with Russian oil , which arrived this Monday in Cuba. “They have to survive! (…) I have no … Continue reading “Trump Welcomes the Arrival of a Russian Oil Tanker in Cuba: “They Have To Survive””