Darío Hernández – Translating Cuba

“Leaving Here Is Being Free”: Freestyle Rap Puts the Anxieties of Young Cubans Into Verse

Big M won the qualifier at the Cuba Pavilion and joined Reverse and Pirry to represent the Island in the World Championship of this discipline

Cuban qualifying round of the Freestyle World Cup, held at the Pabellón Cuba, Havana. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Dario Hernandez, Havana, October 5, 2026 / Emigration, blackouts, transportation problems, violence, racism, and freedom were some of the themes that emerged this Sunday in the improvisations of more than 200 young people registered for the Cuban qualifier for the Freestyle World Cup, held at the Pabellón Cuba in Havana’s Vedado district. Big M ended up winning the tournament and secured the only remaining spot on the national team.

Of the more than 200 entrants, 16 competitors advanced to the main stage. Big M won out among them, joining Marcos Daniel Acosta Leiva, Reverse, capitán de Cuba, and Pirry, also known as Big Tony, who had already secured their spots on the team.

The trio will represent Cuba at the Freestyle World Cup, which will bring together teams from 23 countries across the Americas, Europe, and Africa. The first day of the group stage is scheduled for December 4th in Colombia, and the grand final will be held on the 12th at the Arena Ciudad de México.

More than 200 young people participated in the Cuban qualifier for the Freestyle World Cup, at the Cuba Pavilion. / 14ymedio

Emigration was one of the most recurring themes during the day at the Cuba Pavilion. There were rhymes about emigrating to Brazil and returning, and about the connection between leaving the island and achieving freedom. “Leaving here is being free” was one of the phrases heard during the competition. continue reading

References to theft and violence were also frequent, along with racial slurs and derogatory remarks. The drug known as “the chemical” appeared in the rhymes, as well as allusions to racially motivated attacks. In the earlier phase, there were also more indirect references to power outages and transportation difficulties.

During their freestyle “battle” Mesa reproached Gonki for being “from the Party” and called him a “chivatón” [snitch].

Politics appeared much more explicitly in one of the first-round battles. Mesa faced Viswanathan Martínez Oliva, Gonki, and reproached his opponent for being “from the Party,” called him a “chivatón,” [snitch] and spit rhymes about freedom.

The jury decided on a rematch, a tie that necessitated a new round. Mesa maintained the same tone during the tiebreaker, but the judges awarded the victory to Gonki. There were boos, numerous attendees began to leave, and the presenter had to intervene to calm the audience, as reported by 14ymedio.

There had been no public announcement of a prohibition on political matters, but after that battle, however, direct references to the reality of the Island virtually disappeared. Mesa had also provoked a strong reaction among the attendees, and after his elimination, the atmosphere lost some of the intensity that had characterized the first rounds.

After the “battle” between Mesa and Gonki, political references disappeared from the Cuban qualifying round of the Freestyle World Cup. / 14ymedio

Gonki has a previous track record within the Cuban scene: in addition to competing, he has been a judge and organizer of the Havana Regional of Rimas sin Tarima (Rhymes Without a Stage) and is the creator of the Ciudad de Freestyle (City of Freestyle) project. Big M, for his part, is presented in specialized sources as a national champion and promoter of hip hop culture in Havana.

The other two members of the team will also be going into the international stages with experience. Reverse, born in Cuba and residing in the United States, won the Red Bull Batalla US National Finals in 2021 and 2023, and Pirry competed this year in Spain, participating on October 3rd in FU V-Renacer, in Santiago de Compostela.

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Instead of Oil, Cubans Will Get a $9 Million Mosque Funded by Saudi Arabia

The Portuguese construction company Engimov, in charge of the project, has fenced off the land next to the Tallapiedra thermoelectric plant in Havana

After nine years of announcements, the perimeter of the complex has finally been fenced off. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana/Madrid, September 28, 2026 / The perimeter of the former Tallapiedra thermoelectric plant, in Old Havana, has finally been fenced off so that work announced almost ten years ago can begin. Over this decade, the plant’s old smokestacks have gone dark for good; one day they will stand in contrast to the minarets of the King Salman Mosque. The complex is expected to have prayer halls with capacity for some 500 people, a public library, a dining hall, green spaces and community rooms.

According to official sources, the estimated budget is $9.3 million, provided by Riyadh through the Saudi Fund for Development, although the investor is formally the Office of the Historian, which manages the funds.

The site has recently been marked with signage, as this newspaper was able to verify, and a sign displays the name of the project – King Salman Mosque – the construction permit number and the names of the companies carrying out the project. The design is by Restaura, the specialized entity of the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana (Ohch) that carries out the main conservation, restoration and urban development work in the capital’s Historic Center. The construction itself is being carried out by the builder Engimov Caribe. continue reading

The company is headquartered in the Mariel Special Development Zone (ZEDM) and its capital is 100% Portuguese, as the builder states on its own website. In addition to civil works – including industrial and logistics buildings – it collaborates on residential buildings and hotels, and it also sells – through its own website – kitchen furniture and building materials.

The project’s file number indicates that the permit was obtained in 2020, although talk of this construction began almost four years earlier. As early as 2014, initial plans were circulating to build a mosque in Havana whose look would recall that of Ortaköy, in Istanbul.

The initiative came from Turkey, which was prepared to put up sufficient capital, and from the insistence of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who at the end of that year insisted on a pre-Columbian Muslim presence on the island. “Muslims’ contact with America dates back to the 12th century. Muslims discovered America in 1178. It wasn’t Christopher Columbus. Islam spread across the American continent even before Columbus arrived,” he said. The president, who remains in office, stated: “Columbus recounts that there was a mosque on a hill on the coast of Cuba. I am going to talk with my Cuban brothers about how fitting it would be to build a mosque on top of that hill.”

It is not very clear why the plans came to nothing, since the Cuban government, which had initially given a flat no, later backtracked and gave the green light to a project that never materialized. At the time, the number of Muslims living on the island was estimated at about 5,000; their meeting and prayer place in the capital was the Abdallah Mosque, on Oficios Street. In 2016, the first plans for the new construction project began to circulate, by then financed by Saudi Arabia.

The idea was to build a large complex that could hold some 10,000 worshippers, the largest in Latin America. According to the ambassador in Riyadh, Vladimir González, the island had “a small Muslim community in the country; very organized. I feel honored to make life easier for them as Muslims in Cuba,” he said in 2022.

In 2016, the first plans for the new construction project began to circulate, by then financed by Saudi Arabia. / 14ymedio

In recent years, the Saudi fund has financed seven projects on the island related to health, sanitation and infrastructure, with a total value of some $193.3 million, in addition to the amount earmarked for the mosque. Furthermore, in 2021, a source from the Office of the Historian of Havana told 14ymedio that there was a loan of $26.6 million for the Program for the Rehabilitation and Construction of Social Works, but that resources had been taken from it for the Fidel Castro Ruz Center, in El Vedado, which opened in December of that year.

“The loan was supposed to be for housing, but they took part of it for the Center and for the Capitol too,” said that source. This made it possible to raise the pharaonic building dedicated to Fidel Castro. In addition, part of the money went to the project for the future King Salman Mosque, which even now, in 2026, does not yet have its foundations laid.

Translated by GH.

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The Jibacoa Campgrounds, Between Shortages and Abandonment

Only some rooms at Los Cocos and a few cabins at Las Caletas remain in use amid overgrowth, ruins, and lack of fuel.

The pool at Los Cocos, one of the few areas still usable, also shows the general deterioration. / 14ymedio

Darío Hernández, Mayabeque, September 27, 2026 – What for years was one of the most affordable options for taking a family vacation in Cuba now survives amid overgrowth, dismantled cabins, and recreational areas in ruins. A tour of the popular campgrounds near Jibacoa Beach –Los Cocos, Las Caletas, El Abra, and La Laguna– reveals the deterioration of facilities that once had to be reserved at least a week in advance and now show clear signs of abandonment.

According to what 14ymedio was able to observe on site, in Santa Cruz del Norte, Mayabeque, only the rooms and the pool at Los Cocos were operating, along with a few cabins at Las Caletas. The rest of the facilities were in very poor condition: structures surrounded by brush, common areas without maintenance, and recreational areas that barely retain traces of their former use.

The Jibacoa campgrounds, between shortages and abandonment. /14ymedio

A worker in the area explained to this newspaper that one of the main problems is the inability to cover the cost of some services. “It is becoming very difficult to maintain them, especially because of the brush cutting,” he commented. Because these are large areas, clearing the overgrowth depends on brush cutters that operate with fuel, an increasingly scarce and expensive resource on the Island. According to his testimony, the last time the work was done it cost 25,000 pesos, an amount that is now almost impossible to afford. continue reading

The lack of clearing is visible at a glance. Around many of the cabins, grass grows unchecked and reaches the entrances. Some structures have lost their doors and windows, while others retain little more than their framework. The deterioration of the accommodations is compounded by the condition of the communal spaces. Play areas, cafeterias, open-air structures, and other recreational facilities show obvious deterioration and give the impression of having gone a long time without repairs or attention.

Where there were once spaces designed for leisure and rest, abandonment and lack of maintenance now predominate. / 14ymedio

In several areas, the pavement appears cracked, dirty, or overrun by vegetation. Where there were once spaces designed for leisure and rest, abandonment and lack of maintenance now predominate. The scene contrasts with the natural beauty of the Jibacoa surroundings, one of the best-known beach destinations in the western part of the country.

The pool at Los Cocos, one of the few areas still usable, also shows the general deterioration. Although it remains open, part of the facility is out of service and dirty, confirming the campground’s partial operating condition. Even in the best-preserved complex in the area, the abandonment is evident.

The difference from previous years is notable. According to testimonies gathered in the area, at this time of year it was customary for the cabins to be in high demand, even though conditions were already poor back then. Now, however, demand appears to have collapsed at the same pace as the condition of the facilities. “Except for the first cabins at Los Cocos, this looks like a Resident Evil movie,” one camper says during the tour.

The scene contrasts with the natural beauty of the Jibacoa surroundings, one of the best-known beach destinations in the western part of the country. / 14ymedio

Beyond the extreme appearance of some areas, the underlying problem is the same one affecting almost all services in Cuba: lack of resources, fuel shortages, and accumulated deterioration. In the case of the campgrounds, this deterioration also has symbolic value. For many years, popular camping was presented by the Young Communist League as an affordable leisure alternative for Cubans, especially students and working families who could not aspire to hotels or more expensive destinations.

Today, in many of these enclaves, the official promise has been reduced to a handful of rooms in use and facilities that are barely holding together. The case of the Jibacoa campgrounds also illustrates a deterioration that does not appear to be temporary. It is not merely a lack of paint or an isolated breakdown, but a deep deterioration of the infrastructure and basic maintenance services. It is no longer only food, transportation, or electricity that is in short supply: the few places where generations of Cubans could afford a modest vacation near the sea are also falling apart.

Some structures have lost their doors and windows, while others retain little more than their framework. / 14ymedio

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The “El Eficiente” Gas Station Fuels the Cuban Regime’s Repressive Apparatus

There is no doubt that this service station dispenses fuel from the US, despite Washington’s ban on providing gasoline to the State

Un vehículo de la estatal Sepsa se acerca a repostar al servicentro El Eficiente. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, Darío Hernández, September 14, 2026 / It has been more than five months since the second and final tanker of the year arrived in Cuba with fuel, and setting aside the factory closures, the constant blackouts, and the lack of public transportation, there is one sector that has never slowed its pace: for the trucks, cars, and motorcycles carrying police and members of the Army, there is no fuel shortage.

Where does the Government get the fuel that has kept its repressive apparatus running for months? In Havana, one of the supply points is located exactly one block from Villa Marista, at the intersection of San Miguel and D’Strampes streets, where a Cupet gas station fuels all types of vehicles belonging to the Ministry of the Interior. The name of the place could not be more ironic: El Eficiente [The Efficient One].

A 14ymedio reporter was able to confirm that the site supplies vehicles belonging to the state-run Sepsa (Empresa de Servicios Especializados de Protección, S.A.), responsible for security operations for that agency and other strategic sectors, as well as the trucks that regularly transport the special brigades known as the black berets, in addition to the Suzuki motorcycles used on patrol by State Security agents.

This newspaper learned of the activity from a neighbor in the area, who reported having noticed this kind of activity since at least August. “Every day, hundreds of vehicles of all kinds pass through there – buses for personnel transport (to and from the Ministry of the Interior, located in Plaza José Martí), dump trucks, cars with M, B, and P plates, hundreds of Suzuki motorcycles with their respective thugs…”, he said.

“I wonder how it’s possible for them to mock the sanctions on the regime like this. The repressive apparatus is running at 100%, and that has been the case for more than 66 years”, lamented the whistleblower, who says he suspects that the gasoline imported by some small private businesses (mipymes) is financed by the regime for its own use. “No one here generates enough wealth to buy an iso-tank container of fuel that costs thousands of dollars.” continue reading

Last March, the consulting firm Auge warned of the difficulties that a private Cuban company – the only kind authorized to buy gasoline in the US – could face in carrying out this operation. According to its calculations, the investment needed to acquire and import a full 25,000-liter iso-tank runs to around 50,000 dollars, a very high figure for the vast majority of local businesses.

In Havana, one of the supply points is located exactly one block from Villa Marista. / 14ymedio

Gasoline imports from the US, however, keep growing. So far this year, and since the Trump Administration authorized these transactions, Cuban companies have purchased petroleum-derived products worth 156.8 million dollars, more than 61 million of which came in July alone, the most recent month for which data is available. In addition, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero told the National Assembly that same month that the first foreign investment business for the importation, distribution, and marketing of fuel had already been authorized – a description that matched that of A Granel, the private company with offices in La Lisa and a Cupet warehouse on Avenida del Puerto that 14ymedio visited that month.

The official added that more than a hundred private businesses had already received permission to sell fuel wholesale. Although US regulations are clear in barring the regime from receiving gasoline, this newspaper has previously documented that many state vehicles fill up at service stations whose fuel was imported by private individuals.

Although the public is aware that the State is stocking up using these shipments, the resentment stems above all from what that fuel is used for. “My neighborhood has been without water for days now, like so many others, and they can’t send a water truck because there’s no fuel – the neighbor near the service station points out -. What outrageous irony! There’s gasoline to beat people with, but none for drinking or bathing.”

Translated by GH

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Without Electricity and Lacking Sound Equipment, Sílvia Pérez Cruz Sings to an Emotional Audience in Havana

The Spanish singer chose the San Francisco El Nuevo church for her concert.

Spanish singer Sílvia Pérez Cruz, at the San Francisco El Nuevo church in Old Havana. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, August 26, 2026 – Sílvia Pérez Cruz’s velvet voice, capable of moving from flamenco to bolero, from jazz to fado, from copla to French chanson, from Mediterranean folk music to all the colors of the Americas, could not be appreciated in all its splendor this Sunday in Cuba. The concert she gave, free of charge, at the San Francisco El Nuevo church, in the heart of Old Havana, disappointed part of the audience because of the poor sound.

The Renaissance-era church had been deliberately chosen by the Spanish singer precisely because of its acoustics, so that she could offer a recital without electricity and by candlelight. But it did not work out. The cacophony eventually prompted the artist to use a microphone, although it did little to help. The smiles and tireless efforts of the ensemble, completed by the trio of Bori Alberto (bass), Marta Roma (cello) and Carlos Monfort (violin), did not quite succeed.

[Watch videos here]

With the church packed with people, spectators scattered across the floors, the doors open letting in all the noise from the street, and the heat activating hundreds of fans, it was difficult to hear. Her own songs, such as Verde o Mañana, and versions of others, much beloved in Cuba, such as Veinte años and La tarde gradually made their way through.

The cacophony eventually prompted Sílvia Pérez Cruz to use a microphone, although it did little to help. / 14ymedio

“For a reason, Havana’s orchestras give their concerts at the San Francisco de Asís convent or the San Felipe Neri Oratory, which do have good acoustics,” an expert explained to 14ymedio.

“You can’t understand anything at all, not a single word,” a woman complained before leaving the venue, barely half an hour after the concert had begun. Like her, many others left the concert early.

Another spectator said: “Everyone appreciates that someone like her comes to Havana under these circumstances and gives a free concert, but did no one do a sound check? Someone here didn’t do their job.”

The night before, those attending the private bar La Casa de la Bombilla Verde, in El Vedado, had better luck. There, Sílvia Pérez Cruz sang some “improvised songs,” as she herself described them on her social media, alongside her friend Roly Berrío, and she could be heard flawlessly. continue reading

The Cuban singer — who takes part in the Catalan artist’s song Nombrar es imposible from the album Toda la vida, un día, whose music video was filmed in Havana in 2022 — also attended the San Francisco El Nuevo concert and told 14ymedio about the difficulties of the performance.

The Renaissance-era church had been deliberately chosen by the Spanish singer precisely because of its acoustics, so that she could offer a recital without electricity and by candlelight. / 14ymedio

“It was a beautifully difficult concert. A lot of people, an immense space and a tiny bit of audio, just enough for the voice to float a little above the acoustic, unplugged instruments,” she said in her defense. For the artist, the experience “required a supernatural silence and stillness that was achieved, but which could be broken by little more than a fan moving against the heat.”

Berrío asserts that it was “a very loving concert. Added to the delicacy of the songs and the performance was a strong energy of desire, of wanting to be there, to share, to reach out. Giving and giving and giving. I enjoyed it very much and I will be grateful for it all my life.”

The applause from those who did stay until the end confirms that this was the majority sentiment. At the end of the concert, the artist asked everyone to join together for “one more,” and together they sang De qué callada manera, by Pablo Milanés.

Pérez Cruz herself has spoken of her “intimate relationship” with the Island, which she first came to know through her father, jazz musician Cástor Pérez, who, she says, taught her La tarde, by the legendary Sindo Garay, when she was four years old. She recorded a version of this bolero in 2010, when her father died. He was an expert in Cuban music, as well as a researcher and composer of habanera music, which became enormously popular in Spain beginning in the 19th century.

Another Cuban composer featured in her discography is Marta Valdés, to whom she dedicated an entire album, En la imaginación, in 2011, together with Javier Colina’s trio.

Born in Palafrugell (Girona), Pérez Cruz began her musical career as a member of Las Migas, an original female quartet that has received several Latin Grammy awards, shortly after graduating from the prestigious Catalonia College of Music.

The celebrated Rosalía also studied there, and she has stated that Pérez Cruz was always an inspiration to her and, in fact, invited her to collaborate on La rumba del perdón from her most recent album, Lux.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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A Plague of Bedbugs Forces the Closure of the Guanabacoa Civil Registry in Cuba

The insects have even settled into the old books that contain residents’ registrations.

“We are closed until further notice,” an employee explains from the entrance of the premises. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, August 22, 2026 – Bedbugs have managed to accomplish in Guanabacoa what power outages, paper shortages, and staff shortages had already achieved many times by other means: close a public office. The Civil Registry of the Havana municipality remains out of service because of an invasion of these insects, workers at the office confirmed to several users this Friday.

“We are closed until further notice,” an employee explains from the entrance of the premises, located on San Francisco Street, at the corner of Máximo Gómez. The reason, she admits shortly afterward, is a “bedbug infestation.”

According to the employee, the closure could last “15 to 21 days,” although she did not specify when work to eliminate the insects began or what treatment is being applied inside the building.

“But there are almost only plastic chairs in there,” commented one of the users. / 14ymedio

The news has caused disbelief among some users, mainly because the office has very little furniture where, at first glance, the parasites could take refuge. “There are almost only plastic chairs in there,” one of them commented. But the answer appears to lie in an object that is much more abundant than the furniture: the books.

The Civil Registry’s old volumes, several of them cloth-bound and stored for decades, are reportedly infested, according to workers and users of the office. Bedbugs can hide in cracks and small crevices and can also take advantage of materials such as paper, cardboard, and fabric, meaning the historical archive offers more hiding places than the austerity of the furniture might suggest.

While the closure lasts, the employee says those affected can “go to any registry” in the capital to handle their affairs. But the solution turns out to be considerably simpler at the office entrance than in real life.

Very close to the Registry, the office responsible for identity cards was also not operating this Friday. / 14ymedio

Two people who went to the Regla Civil Registry after finding the Guanabacoa office closed were unable to resolve their paperwork there, they told 14ymedio. The possibility of processing certain certificates at other offices does exist, especially when registrations have been digitized, but not all procedures can be transferred from one office to another without difficulties.

The episode adds a bureaucratic twist to an infestation that has been spreading through Havana for weeks. At the end of July, this newspaper documented the proliferation of bedbugs in homes in different municipalities of the capital, where mattresses and sofas began ending up directly in garbage dumps because of the impossibility of getting rid of the insects. Power outages, accumulated waste, and, above all, the difficulty of obtaining effective fumigation products have made the situation continue reading

even more complicated.

In a city where almost everything ends up becoming part of the crisis archive, even the insects seem to have discovered the Civil Registry. / 14ymedio

Less than a month after those reports, the appearance of an infestation in a public building shows that the problem is no longer limited to bedrooms and household furniture. The insects have now reached a State archive, where they share space with documents that in some cases have been stored for decades.

Very close to the Registry, the office responsible for identity cards, located on Máximo Gómez at the corner of División, was also not operating this Friday. People who went there said that this office had also closed because of bedbugs. Users were told that it would possibly reopen on Monday.

The promise was met with caution. “That is not known for certain,” one of them said, accustomed to the office suspending services for other reasons, including a lack of materials to produce the documents. In a city where almost everything ends up becoming part of the crisis archive, even the insects seem to have discovered the Civil Registry.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Dipyrone, Hydrocortisone or Ranitidine: Regla’s Private Pharmacy Alleviates Chronic Shortages in Cuba’s State Sector

The decree of July 28 regarding authorized activities stipulates that individuals may apply for a license to sell medicines

Shelves in a private pharmacy in the municipality of Regla, Havana. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Dario Hernandez, Havana, August 20, 2026 / What has spread like wildfire on social media as “the first private pharmacy” in Havana is, in reality, a private store in the Regla municipality that has been selling medicine for two years. The video shared by users and independent media, an employee told 14ymedio, has brought them “more problems than benefits.”

The establishment, located on Martí Street between Albuquerque and Agramonte, has a front room selling toiletries, makeup, and clothing, and a second room housing the pharmacy. It’s a small counter, but it displays well-stocked shelves. These shelves hold not only medications—such as dipyrone, hydrocortisone, and ranitidine—but also all kinds of medicinal remedies and vitamins. The store’s name is nowhere to be seen, and there is no way to know who owns it.

What has spread like wildfire on social media as “the first private pharmacy” in Havana is, in reality, a private store in the Regla municipality that has been selling medicine for two years. The video shared by users and independent media, an employee told 14ymedio, has brought them “more problems than benefits.”

Click here to view video above.

The flow of customers, as this newspaper observed, is high. In just a few minutes last Tuesday, a dozen customers entered. One of them was told to come back another day because they were “unpacking.” Indeed, from a gleaming car, imported in 2023 according to the sticker visible on the windshield, several workers were unloading box after box, which they were arranging in a sort of warehouse. There were at least fifty boxes.

As for the prices, they’re not for everyone. Vitamins cost 2,000 pesos, a tablet of pills 1,000, and a simple tea bag 100 pesos, to name a few examples. Customers, however, aren’t complaining. “They’re expensive, yes, but that’s how it is everywhere, on the side, on the street,” one shopper remarked this Thursday. “At least this is a store, and continue reading

it’s legal.”

There were at least fifty of them, which the workers stored in a sort of warehouse. / 14ymedio

Given that it has been operating for some time, however, it is unclear whether it has already obtained the necessary government license. Pharmacies, along with transportation and energy, are among the businesses reopened to private ownership as part of the measures announced in June to ease economic restrictions, but express authorization is required, according to the decree published in the Official Gazette on July 28.

In any case, it represents the formalization of an entire market that attempts to alleviate the chronic shortage in the state sector, which has its pharmacies without supplies and its patients without the appropriate treatments.

The store carries not only medications, but all kinds of medicinal remedies and vitamins. / 14ymedio

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A Protest by Women Over Lack of Water Brings Out Police and a Water Tanker Truck in Regla

The water tanker truck, arrived without a hose, and a high-ranking officer demanded that residents carry their own buckets.

“You need it, you carry it,” one of the high-ranking officers snapped. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, August 19, 2026 – “You need it, you carry it.” The response from a high-ranking officer to Regla residents protesting this Wednesday over the lack of water only heightened the tension on Maceo Street, between Fresneda and Perdomo. After complaining at the police station, several women managed to get a water tanker truck to appear, but it arrived without a hose, and the solution offered was for each family to transport the water to their homes in buckets.

The protest began shortly beforehand, according to 14ymedio’s observation at the scene. A group of women were outside the police station, visibly upset, demanding a response to the lack of water supply. Later, on their way back toward the neighborhood, one of them shouted to the residents that they should all come out into the street, because the problem did not affect only those who had gone to protest.

“She was saying that we all had to come out, because everyone was lacking water, not just them,” says Frank, a local resident. He has heard the same thing in different parts of the municipality. “People are complaining because we didn’t even have a drop of water left.”

The vehicle did not have a hose to deliver the water directly to the homes. / 14ymedio

About 15 minutes later, a water tanker truck arrived, and a group of police officers had been deployed, including high-ranking officers, some of them with the rank of colonel. On the sidewalks, numerous residents, including women and children, watched the argument.

The arrival of the tanker truck, however, did not end the conflict. The vehicle did not have a hose to deliver the water directly to the homes, and the driver expected the residents themselves to come over to fill their own containers and carry them.

The exchange between the residents, the driver and the officers became increasingly heated. “You need it, you carry it,” one of the high-ranking officers snapped. The remark particularly angered those continue reading

who pointed out that many elderly people and people unable to carry several buckets of water from the street to their homes live in the neighborhood.

A group of police officers was deployed at the scene, including high-ranking officers, some of them with the rank of colonel. / 14ymedio

The method also does not guarantee a sufficient amount for a family’s needs. The residents explained that, when the situation was less critical, one water truck could supply two or three homes and fill household water tanks. Now, with many more homes depending on the trucks, each household ends up receiving barely three or four buckets.

“That doesn’t solve anything,” another resident lamented. Much less, he added, for those who must reserve water for drinking, cooking, bathing and maintaining minimum hygiene conditions for several days.

The supply crisis in the municipality is not new. On August 13, Aguas de La Habana acknowledged disruptions in the lower part of Regla and Casablanca linked to the El Gato System, one of the main sources supplying the capital. That day, the state-run company also reported electrical problems that had left several pieces of equipment in the system out of service.

As long as water supplies continue to depend on improvised responses, the next complaint seems to be only a matter of time. / 14ymedio

The interruptions have turned access to water into a recurring source of discontent in Regla. In June, residents of the municipality blocked a street after going more than 24 hours without electricity or water. Police quickly arrived in the area, and the tension eased only after electrical service returned.

A month later, on July 8, dozens of people mobilized again and took their complaints to the municipal Government and Communist Party offices after several days without either service. Women with children, elderly people and other residents gathered under the sun while police and officials tried to contain the discontent.

Wednesday’s scene once again showed something that is repeated in different parts of the Island. Women are often the first to come out to protest; then the uniformed officers arrive and, only then, some emergency solution appears. This time, the tanker truck temporarily eased the lack of water in a Regla neighborhood, but it was far from resolving it. As long as water supplies continue to depend on improvised responses, the next complaint seems to be only a matter of time.

Click here to view video below

Translated by Regina Anavy

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‘They Have Started Taking the Cemetery’s Iron Grilles’

Thieves are turning historic buildings, schools, and former factories into sources of reusable or sellable materials

Today, that historical legacy survives amid damaged walls and neglect that threatens to erase two centuries of memory. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, August 15, 2026 – Just over a year ago, this newspaper visited the old Guanabacoa cemetery to show the neglect of one of Havana’s oldest burial grounds. At the time, weeds were devouring the pathways, the remains of religious rituals were accumulating beside the graves, and the tombs displayed the scars left by metal theft. If in 2025 the theft of the grilles appeared as yet another symptom of neglect, today the dismantling of the site has only accelerated.

On the perimeter wall, the gaps left by the iron grilles are striking. Where bars once stood, only the masonry pillars remain, evidence of the looting suffered by the site. The metal pieces are a coveted prize in a country where a kilogram of iron can translate into a few pesos to survive.

The graves show new signs of vandalism, with fractured tombstones, opened structures, and missing ornamental elements. / 14ymedio

Designed in 1814 next to the Potosí Hermitage, the cemetery began receiving burials in 1821, as part of sanitary reforms that sought to move burials outside churches and their surrounding areas. Considered the oldest cemetery in Guanabacoa, a municipality that contains the largest number of cemeteries in Havana, it was declared a National Monument in 1997. It preserves mausoleums and structures of significant heritage value. Among them is the hermitage itself, built in the 17th century and considered one of the oldest buildings in the municipality.

Today, that historical legacy survives amid damaged walls and neglect that threatens to erase two centuries of memory. The graves show new signs of vandalism, with fractured tombstones, opened structures, and missing ornamental elements. Many graves remain overrun by vegetation, while the neglect is evident in every corner.

“They have started taking the grilles,” says Javier, who has several relatives buried in the cemetery and has witnessed the progressive deterioration of this historic burial ground.

The church, one of the cemetery’s most emblematic buildings, has also become a target for criminals. / 14ymedio

Nor have the workers escaped the wear and tear caused by the constant insecurity. “They have had to restore the church’s wood several times after thieves broke in repeatedly,” Javier explains. Each repair seems to last only a short time. Soon afterward, there are continue reading

more breakages, forced entries, and attempts to steal anything of economic value.

The church, one of the cemetery’s most emblematic buildings, has also become a target for criminals. The lack of surveillance and the shortage of resources to protect the site facilitate nighttime incursions. What were once sporadic thefts of metals or funeral ornaments have evolved into the gradual dismantling of the infrastructure.

When this newspaper visited the cemetery in May 2025, several workers attributed the deterioration to a lack of personnel, low salaries, and the impossibility of maintaining the site properly. They also reported the constant theft of copper rings, metal plaques, and other elements from the graves. A year later, those problems have worsened.

Now the looting is no longer limited to the graves. The cemetery’s own grilles are gradually disappearing, while sections of the wall have open fractures to facilitate their removal. “The cemetery is currently abandoned; apparently, no one cares anymore,” Javier laments.

The economic crisis, the informal metals market, and the absence of surveillance are turning historic buildings, schools, factories, and cemeteries into sources of reusable or sellable materials. What cannot be protected ends up being dismantled piece by piece.

At the old Guanabacoa cemetery, that process is especially painful. It is not only objects of material value that are disappearing. A place filled with memory is also deteriorating, a place where generations of families rest and where every damaged grave represents a part of local history that is being lost. For now, the decline shows no signs of stopping.

Watch video here.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The State Washes Its Hands of School Uniforms in Cuba

Private businesses are working at full speed to make skirts, shorts, pants, and shirts or polo shirts.

Chikyos Confecciones, on 12th Street in El Vedado, Havana. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, August 14, 2026 – With just over two weeks to go before the school year begins, the State appears to have definitively washed its hands of providing uniforms for students. Their production and sale are now being handled, at high prices, by an increasing number of private businesses.

One of them is Chikyos Confecciones, on 12th Street, in the heart of Havana’s El Vedado neighborhood, where a long line was waiting outside this Thursday. The operating method, made-to-order sales, is similar to that of other stores of the same kind that have proliferated through advertisements on social media. Customers — mainly women — provide the desired size and, after paying in advance, return to pick up the garment once it has been made.

From a balcony of the building, the owner of the place can be seen tearing fabric, sewing, hanging things out and occasionally looking out. She oversees a thriving business, although not everyone can afford those prices.

“My child is in first grade and last year they only gave him a pair of shorts,” one mother says. “He was able to go to school thanks to a neighbor who gave me her children’s used uniforms”

Prices vary depending on the garment — skirt, shorts, pants, shirt or polo shirt — the size and whether it is for elementary or secondary school. A polo shirt with an insignia costs between $4 and $5 at Chikyos, while skirts cost around 1,500 pesos, and shorts between 2,000 and 3,000.

“These businesses are overwhelmed, and they are the only supplier of uniforms there is,” a young mother waiting in the Chikyos line tells 14ymedio. Desperate, private businesses are continue reading

her only option. “My child is in first grade and last year they only gave him a pair of shorts,” she says. “He was able to go to school thanks to a neighbor who gave me her children’s used uniforms.”

Cuba: Along the Vía Blanca, Stalls Selling Gasoline in One-Liter Bottles Are Popping Upp

In and around the old Shell station in Guanabacoa, three types of transactions coexist: legal ones, ‘underground’ business, and street vendors.

“Gasoline 2,600,” reads the sign held by a vendor standing by the Vía Blanca, like someone advertising mangoes or avocados. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Dario Hernandez, Havana, August 8, 2026 / The gas station at the Roundabout of the former Shell station, in Guanabacoa, has become a hub for the fuel business where three options compete: legal sales managed by a micro-enterprise, which rents the pumps to Cupet; black market sales, which depend on another company; and the newest variant, which consists of placing young people with one-liter bottles of gasoline in the vicinity of the gas station.

“Gasoline 2,600,” reads the sign held by a vendor standing by the Vía Blanca, like someone advertising mangoes or avocados. A few meters ahead, three bottles filled with a yellowish liquid are offered for 2,800 pesos each. Here, the product is sold in Mexican pesos, unlike at the gas station itself, where transactions are in dollars, but only by contract and with prepayment.

The legal practice is no longer entirely legitimate, as there is a noticeable presence of state vehicles refueling in violation of the authorization granted by the US solely to the private sector , both for import and sale. The name of the micro, small, or medium-sized enterprise (MSME) managing the gas station is unknown, but an investigation by 14ymedio has established that the company selling fuel illegally belongs to the YES Group.

“You get there and pay three dollars per liter. They tell you to go to the Shell roundabout, but I don’t know if they have other service stations as well.”

Like other micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) that have ventured into the lucrative fuel business , doubts arise about their ties to the state and whether continue reading

they are genuinely private companies or government fronts. In this case, the numerous investments of the Y.E.S. Group are noteworthy, including an appliance store on Galiano Street, a restaurant in the same area of Central Havana, a beauty salon in the La Copa shopping center, and a “coastal estate” 20 minutes from the capital.

The group has no activity linked to the energy sector, and yet customers can go to one of its offices in Playa to buy fuel. This newspaper spoke with Ernesto, a regular user of this service. “The process begins in a building with rather tangled hallways,” he explains. “You get there and pay three dollars per liter. They tell you to go to the Shell Roundabout, but I don’t know if they have other service stations as well. You have to ask for someone named A. He has a list. You arrive, they verify that you’re on it, and you practically go straight in to fill up.”

While dozens of vehicles, including PedroCars buses, yellow taxis, and Transmed vans, wait their turn, the customers on the YES Group list access the pump without much delay. “I saw people taking ten liters and others filling up huge tanks. One guy left with a thousand liters. I took fifty,” he recounts.

The description matches the pattern that 14ymedio has been documenting in recent months. Since April, several investigations have revealed that the state has begun leasing Cupet gas stations to private companies that import and sell fuel, allowing them to use state infrastructure to serve their own customers.

Shell roundabout in Guanabacoa (Havana). / 14ymedio

Those operations had already drawn criticism because they coexisted with the official rationing system. Now, according to several testimonies gathered by this newspaper, the business appears to have evolved into a much more organized mechanism.

“I was afraid it was gasoline mixed with water or something weird that would ruin the engine,” the driver admits. “But it smells exactly like Cupet gas. The car hasn’t given me any problem.”

Meanwhile, the street market continues to grow around the service station. Vendors display handwritten price signs and wait for customers along the roadside.

“If you don’t want to go through offices or pay in dollars, you buy it from them,” commented a motorcyclist watching the coming and going of buyers. “Everyone knows where they are.”

The 2,600 pesos advertised on the sign even represents a decrease compared to prices just a few weeks ago, when some resellers were asking up to 3,500 pesos per liter. The drop could indicate greater fuel availability in the informal market or increasing competition among the intermediaries themselves.

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“All of Cuba is a Wolf’s Den”

A couple from Guanabacoa recounts the brutal assault by two hooded men who stole their motorcycle during a blackout.

The combination of power outages, deserted streets, and poor lighting has increased nighttime insecurity. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Dario Hernandez, Havana, August 9, 2026 / “We left because we had no other option.” That’s how a couple from Guanabacoa explains the decision that ended up costing them the electric scooter they had bought with years of savings and the support of a relative who had emigrated. She needed internet access to work as a ‘community manager’; he, a barber, used the trip to shower at a house in Regla where there was running water. They were returning home when two hooded men intercepted them and stole the electric scooter at knifepoint.

The assault occurred shortly after 11 p.m., as they were returning along a poorly lit avenue near the entrance to Guanabacoa. “They appeared from behind on a motorcycle. The passenger was carrying a knife. They slashed at them and kicked them to the ground,” a person close to the victims told 14ymedio.

When they both fell to the pavement, the aggressors seized the moped. “They already had the moped, but they still stabbed the boy in the arm. The wound was four fingers deep,” the continue reading

testimony adds.

“There’s not a soul in the street. People are waiting for the electricity or water to come back on, or they’re simply locked inside their homes.” / 14ymedio

The couple filed a police report, but say they haven’t heard anything since. “They haven’t called us, and we haven’t seen any activity,” they lamented.

The moped, bought less than a year ago for about $1,300, is now worth nearly $2,300 on the black market. “That was practically all our savings,” they explained. And, in addition, they lost their main work tool. He used it several times a week to travel from Guanabacoa to a barbershop in El Vedado and to make deliveries for coffee shops; she depended on the moped to reach places where she could still access the internet during the frequent power outages.

Now, they calculate, just the one-way trip by private transport to El Vedado will cost around 1,000 pesos.

“They were renters, they don’t have children because they were saving to emigrate and they also planned to sell their moped when that time came. In a matter of minutes they lost years of sacrifice,” the relative summarizes.

Beyond the robbery, the incident reflects a reality that many Havana residents have been describing for months. The combination of power outages, deserted streets, and poor lighting has increased insecurity at night.

“You go out at ten o’clock at night and it feels like three in the morning,” the same source says. “There’s not a soul in the street. People are waiting for the electricity or water to come back on, or they’re simply locked inside their homes. All of Cuba is like a wolf’s den.”

“After 10 p.m., run every red light,” a stranger advised a motorcyclist while riding through Havana. / 14ymedio

The victims say that, while filing the report, they learned of another case that had occurred a few days earlier. “They told us that a tricycle had been stolen using the same modus operandi in the Puente del Ahorcado area of Regla,” they stated. They also believe that “the police know these robberies are occuring, but the impression we have is that they’re doing nothing.”

Other residents consulted by this newspaper mentioned areas they consider particularly dangerous at night, including Primelles and Vía Blanca, 23rd and Paseo, and Lacret, in the Diez de Octubre neighborhood. Their accounts coincide in describing thefts or attempted thefts of mopeds and tricycles, although there are no official statistics to quantify the problem.

“After ten o’clock at night, run every red light,” a stranger advised a motorcyclist as he rode through Havana. “If you stop, you become very vulnerable.”

On social media during recent months reports of stolen motorcycles and electric tricycles have multipled, along with posts from family members and neighbors trying to locate stolen vehicles or identify the perpetrators. While some of these cases have been solved by the police, many victims maintain they never received any updates on the progress of the investigations.

Without public figures from the Ministry of the Interior on these types of crimes, it is impossible to determine whether robberies have increased. What does seem to be growing is the fear of those who depend on a motorcycle to work, get around, or simply survive in a city where the lack of electricity, water, and transportation forces more and more people to travel through dark and nearly empty streets at night.

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A Pair of Glasses and Ten Tablets of Pills Unleash Chaos in a Church in Guanabacoa

The parish suspended the distribution after ‘line jumpers’, repeat customers, and neighbors without prescriptions appeared.

According to several attendees, the parish was distributing glasses with varying magnifications, some dipyrone tablets, and medications that residents identified as antibiotics. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, August 2, 2026 / “They say they’re giving away eyeglasses at the church.” The news spread through Guanabacoa this week with the speed that attends rumors about any scarce product in Cuba. In no time, a line of residents formed under the sun in front of the parish of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, located next to the amphitheater in the Havana municipality.

The offer was hard to ignore in a country where buying prescription glasses or obtaining antibiotics can require months of searching and an amount of money unattainable for many retirees. According to several attendees, the parish was distributing glasses with varying prescriptions, some dipyrone tablets, and medications that locals identified as antibiotics.

No one could pinpoint the origin of the donation. In line, some people claimed it was part of “aid from the United States,” while others said they had heard the goods had arrived through a religious organization.

“This is from the millions the Americans sent,” commented a woman while waiting. Another resident added, “I don’t know if it’s 10 or 100 million, but they say it came from there.” The claim was repeated from mouth to mouth without anyone being able to prove it. continue reading

“This is from the millions that the Americans sent,” commented a woman while she waited. / 14ymedio

The scene revealed, above all, the depth of the need. Elderly people, women with children, and people who had come from other parts of the municipality were gathered in front of the church. Some shielded themselves from the sun with umbrellas; others sat on the grass or stood waiting by the fence.

Initially, as this newspaper observed at the site, the process proceeded fairly normally. Simply requesting the desired prescription was sufficient. No eye exam was required, nor was a recent prescription necessary.

“They gave you whichever one you wanted,” explained one of the attendees, who left wearing black-framed glasses. The lenses appeared to be the pre-assembled reading glasses sold with standard magnification, but the residents were talking about them as if they could solve any vision problem.

“They gave you whichever one you wanted,” explained one of the attendees, who left wearing black-framed glasses. / 14ymedio

Others argued about who should have priority. “The elderly first,” some demanded. There were also complaints that there weren’t enough seats for people with mobility difficulties and that those who had been waiting the longest were afraid of losing their place.

The line ended up turning into a dispute. Attendees reported the presence of ‘line standers’ holding places, of people trying to get in twice, and others cutting in front of those who had been waiting for hours. The atmosphere “got heated,” according to several residents.

The priest then decided to halt the give-away. The suspension left dozens of people in front of the church, some annoyed and others convinced that the distribution would resume two days later. The version that circulates in the neighborhood was that the products would be distributed again on Friday.

Others remained in the surroundings for a while, observing the entrance and asking questions of those who were leaving the building. / 14ymedio

However, on Friday the parish priest announced that the distribution would not continue. Even so, several people arrived early at the church to see if there was any chance of receiving anything. “I came just in case,” said a woman in front of the gate. “Yesterday they told me they were still distributing today.” Others lingered nearby, watching the entrance and asking those leaving the building.

Among the residents, it was said that the priest was considering replacing the line with a house-to-house distribution, especially among the elderly, the sick, and people with mobility problems.

The parish, overwhelmed by demand far exceeding its capacity, ended up closing the distribution. The line remained as a portrait of a country where a small donation, even without a confirmed origin or sufficient organization, can immediately become a massive event.

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Havana, a Dead City, Faces an Unprecedented Blackout Today

The Elecric Union (UNE) Forecasts a Record 2,380-Megawatt Shortfall During Peak Hours.

Exterior of the Cuban Art Factory, completely dark. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, July 29, 2026 – Cuba’s Electric Union (UNE) forecast a record shortfall of 2,380 megawatts (MW) during peak hours this Wednesday, a figure that, if realized, would further deepen the paralysis of a country battered by blackouts, the lack of transportation, and the deterioration of its cultural spaces. The outlook was already bleak last weekend, when a nighttime tour by 14ymedio through several central areas of the capital confirmed that Havana is dead.

It was around nine at night, and only a few cars were traveling along Línea Street. The sidewalks were empty, the building facades blended into the darkness, and the few buildings that still had some light looked like isolated islands in a deserted city. There were no groups of young people walking, no couples looking for a place to sit, and no audience waiting to enter a concert. “There’s nowhere to go,” summed up a young man from Havana. The darkness swallowed everything.

And this Wednesday threatens to be even worse. UNE estimates that during the period of highest consumption there will be demand for 3,200 MW compared with availability of just 850 MW, enough to cover little more than a quarter of the country’s needs (26.5%). If the projected 2,380 MW shortfall is reached, the figure will surpass the record of 2,341 MW recorded on July 8.

If the projected 2,380 MW shortfall is reached, the figure will surpass the record of 2,341 MW recorded on July 8

Although Havana has traditionally received more favorable treatment than the provinces, prolonged outages now frequently affect large areas of the capital. The deterioration of the electrical system coincides with the fuel shortage, the collapse of public transportation, the prohibitive cost of taxis, rising violence, and the loss of continue reading

purchasing power. Going out at night has become a difficult undertaking even before choosing a destination.

And there are not many destinations left to choose from either. In front of the entrance to the Cuban Art Factory (Fábrica de Arte Cubano) this past weekend, there were no lines, conversations, or street vendors. The building remained closed and completely dark. For more than a decade, the former industrial building has been one of the busiest centers of Havana nightlife. Its halls hosted exhibitions, concerts, theater, dance, cinema, and parties that could last until dawn. Now, the vertical FAC letters were barely visible beside the walls.

At the beginning of June, the venue announced a pause in its regular programming without specifying when it would fully resume activities, although it later reopened for some individual events. Its management said it needed to reorganize in the face of difficulties that were part of “a broader context.”

During the 14ymedio tour, the vehicle’s headlights were at times the only source of illumination. / 14ymedio [view video here]

The electrical crisis had already pushed the institution to the brink. In October 2023, the consumption plan assigned by the authorities only allowed it to operate two days a month instead of the usual sixteen. To keep some events going, it resorted to generators and even asked the public to bring their own sources of lighting.

The current closure has not been attributed exclusively to the blackouts, but it is impossible to separate it from a crisis that drives up fuel costs, makes air conditioning difficult, paralyzes equipment, and drives audiences away. Without electricity, the lights, sound system, refrigerators, and ventilation do not work; without transportation, there is no way to get home after a performance.

The paralysis extends along Línea Street, an avenue that for decades connected some of El Vedado’s main cultural venues. The street is home to theaters, cinemas, Café Brecht, and bars where musicians, actors, students, and audiences used to continue the night after performances. That night there was no trace of that activity.

The crisis at the Bertolt Brecht Cultural Center began even before the current worsening situation. The failure of its transformer left part of the facilities without adequate conditions, forced limitations on the use of its halls, and turned the heat into yet another enemy for artists and audiences.

The paralysis extends along Línea Street, an avenue that for decades connected some of El Vedado’s main cultural venues

Havana has always built part of its identity around the night. Cabarets, jazz clubs, theaters, cinemas, concerts, and cultural gatherings survived different periods of hardship. Even during the harshest years of the Special Period, when public transportation collapsed and the overcrowded camellos [‘camel buses‘] appeared, meeting places capable of sustaining some cultural life endured.

Now it is not just a matter of lacking electricity. There is also a lack of audiences, artists, fuel, transportation, and money. Many young people have emigrated; others remain in their homes to make use of the few hours of electricity or to avoid walking through completely dark streets.

During the 14ymedio tour, the vehicle’s headlights were at times the only source of illumination. They revealed trees, walls, parked cars, and closed entrances for a few seconds before everything disappeared again. The camera was not capturing a sleeping city, but a paralyzed city.

The forecast of a record 2,380 MW shortfall provides a technical measure of the disaster. Havana’s nightlife offers another one, visible in miles of avenues without pedestrians, closed cultural institutions, and an entire generation with nowhere to go. The capital that once prided itself on never sleeping can no longer even keep its lights on.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Any Small Private Business in Cuba Wants to Sell Fuel to Cash In on the Business

“A Granel was only the first of many,” says a knowledgeable source who requested anonymity. “The fuel is coming in through pipelines.”

A Cupet fuel tanker leaving a gas station in Guanabacoa. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, July 23, 2026 – It is no longer just small private businesses connected to the oil or transportation sectors, or those that specifically need gasoline to operate. The importating of fuel from the U.S., authorized for the private sector since last February, has spread to all kinds of businesses.

This can be seen at several gas stations in Havana. One example is the service station known as the Shell Roundabout in Guanabacoa, which was closed to the public five months ago to serve only yellow taxis and began selling imported gasoline last May. There, 14ymedio confirmed that gasoline is being sold for $5 dollars per liter*.

“They lease the gas stations, issue invoices, and sell gasoline by the liter in dollars,” summarizes a customer at that station, where, as this newspaper previously reported, fuel is supplied not only to private businesses but also to state-owned companies, in direct violation of the authorization granted by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

This Monday, in a report published by the Sancti Spíritus provincial newspaper Escambray, José Lorenzo García, the provincial transportation delegate, stated that the ministry had “circulated” a document regarding the possibility of bus companies purchasing fuel from small private businesses, but continue reading

that there was still no regulation in place to govern the practice.

“They lease the gas stations, issue invoices, and sell gasoline by the liter in dollars” / 14ymedio

In practice, this newspaper has confirmed that, in Havana, these State-owned vehicles are already fueling up at the same gas stations that serve private businesses. Among them is the station on Avenida del Puerto, where fuel is sold to national buses, whose terminal is located right next door, while the station at Vía Blanca and Fábrica serves trucks and water tankers. In addition, many state-owned Lada cars can be seen at the Vía Blanca station near the Luyanó bridge.

An entire black-market buying and selling network has also emerged that goes far beyond specialized businesses. “Right now anyone on the street has gasoline and will sell it to you at outrageous prices,” says a Havana driver. “Food businesses, people in the dollar-selling business—anyone will sell you a liter of gasoline for 3,500 pesos.”

One example is a small company dedicated to selling beer. “Right now, all they are promoting is gasoline, nothing else,” says one customer. In a WhatsApp message, they explain the requirements and, while revealing other service stations operating like the Shell Roundabout, warn: “You have to keep in mind that a waiting list is made, and you will be notified when they are ready to enable fueling at Tropicana [a gas station in the Playa municipality] and Acapulco [in Nuevo Vedado].”

Advertisements are also multiplying on social media. “Imported premium gasoline, minimum purchase 20 liters, $4.30 per liter,” reads one ad from Jaimanitas, in Playa. The same seller offers a price of $4.25 per liter for purchases of 40 liters or more, $4.20 for 100 liters or more, and $4.15 for purchases of 200 liters or more.

Beyond the fact that the business activities of these companies have nothing to do with fuel, the issue is that they are using the State distribution network, thereby also violating U.S. regulations. This is the case of A Granel, documented by 14ymedio, which sells diesel for $2.50 per liter from an industrial warehouse located at the end of Avenida del Puerto, owned by the Cuban Lubricants Company (Cubalub), which belongs to the State-owned Cupet.

“A Granel was only the first of many,” says a knowledgeable source who requested anonymity. “The fuel is coming in through pipelines”

Whatever the case, it is privately imported fuel that is keeping the country minimally running since the U.S. imposed an oil blockade

Whatever the case, it is privately imported fuel that is keeping the country minimally running since the U.S. imposed an oil blockade on the Cuban regime following its intervention in Venezuela earlier this year. Since January 9, the date when the last Mexican tanker, the Ocean Mariner, arrived on the island, only one vessel has docked: the Anatoly Kolodkin, which arrived on March 30 carrying Russian crude oil.

The official price of gasoline increased on July 10: gasoline rose from $2 to $2.50 per liter, while diesel increased from $1.80 to $2 per liter. In any case, fuel available for public sale through the Ticket app has reached extremely low levels.

In Havana it has been unavailable since May 28. Only a few gas stations outside the capital remain open, almost exclusively in Sancti Spíritus, where the number of operating service stations has also been reduced since July 8. Matanzas and Villa Clara, which had been dispensing fuel almost daily at several stations, have not done so since June 4.

There have been three exceptions to this situation: this Tuesday, when a gas station opened in Camagüey; on June 16, when another station opened in Artemisa; and on June 30, when fuel was dispensed at a service station in Havana (Santa María del Rosario).

*Equivalent to almost $19 a gallon

Translated by Regina Anavy

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