Translator: Regina Anavy – Page 20

Cuban Bishops Cancel Their Trip to the Vatican Due to a Lack of Jet Fuel for Airplanes

The meeting scheduled with Pope Leo XIV will not take place because of the risk of being unable to return to the Island

Like the prelates, many travelers are wondering what to do about their trips to Cuba. / EFE

14ymedio, Havana, February 10, 2026 – The Cuban Conference of Catholic Bishops has canceled the trip to the Vatican it had announced for February 16, due to the possible mass cancellation of flights to the Island caused by the critical fuel shortage. They announced their decision on Sunday, one day after the Cuban government stated that, starting February 9 and for an entire month, the country would not have enough jet fuel to refuel aircraft arriving on the Island.

The prelates’ visit was the traditional Ad Limina Apostolorum, during which every five years they present the Supreme Pontiff with a report on the situation of their dioceses, but on this occasion it had raised many expectations. First, because it would have been the first meeting with the new pope, and second, because of the situation in Cuba, under pressure from the United States. Pope Leo XIV himself expressed his concern about Cuba last week from St. Peter’s Square and called on both countries to engage in “sincere and effective dialogue.”

The Cuban bishops themselves had warned that, over the past six months, the country’s situation has deteriorated

The Cuban bishops themselves had warned that, over the past six months, the country’s situation has deteriorated and that anguish and hopelessness have spread among the population. It was therefore expected that they would take directly to the Vatican a message about the seriousness continue reading

of the social and economic scenario the Island is going through. There was also an expectation within the Church that the meeting would help strengthen a more active role of mediation and international accompaniment, as has occurred at other times, when the Catholic Church in Cuba has taken part in humanitarian efforts, in processes leading to the release of political prisoners and in channeling aid through Caritas.

Like the prelates, many travelers are wondering what to do about their trips to Cuba. There are currently about 4,000 Russian tourists on the Island, so Russian and Cuban authorities are in talks. Some airlines, such as Air Canada, have canceled all their flights to Cuba, while others, like Iberia and Air Europa, have sought alternatives such as refueling in the Dominican Republic to maintain their routes to Cuba. In any case, the outlook is uncertain, and embassies such as those of Sweden, Spain, Mexico, and the United States have issued alerts to their citizens due to the deterioration of living conditions on the Island.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Air Canada Cancels Its Flights to Cuba Due to Fuel Shortages

Spanish airlines Iberia and Air Europa announce technical stops to refuel in the Dominican Republic

Air Canada operates, on average, 16 weekly flights to four destinations in Cuba / Facebook

14ymedio, Havana, February 9, 2026 – The Canadian airline Air Canada suspended its flights to Cuba this Monday due to the country’s critical shortage of jet fuel. In a statement, the company said the measure will directly affect around 3,000 passengers stranded on the island, for whom it will send empty planes to transport them back to their country.

“Air Canada made this decision following notices issued (NOTAMs) regarding the unreliability of aviation fuel supplies at Cuban airports,” the statement said. The company added that, as of February 10, aviation fuel will no longer be available for purchase at the island’s airports. “For remaining flights, Air Canada will carry additional fuel and make technical stops to refuel on the return journey if necessary,” it explained.

The message from Cuban authorities to pilots and air traffic controllers specifies that the jet fuel shortage affects all of Cuba’s international airports. The nine affected terminals are José Martí in Havana; Juan Gualberto Gómez in Varadero; Jaime González in Cienfuegos; Abel Santamaría in Santa Clara; Ignacio Agramonte in Camagüey; Jardines del Rey in Cayo Coco; Frank País in Holguín; Antonio Maceo in Santiago de Cuba; and Sierra Maestra in Manzanillo. The notification is valid for one month, from February 10 through March 11. continue reading

The jet fuel shortage affects all of Cuba’s international airports.

As a result, the airline reported that flights to Holguín and Santa Clara are canceled “for the remainder of the season,” while flights to Varadero and Cayo Coco, which operate year-round, are currently suspended “with a tentative restart, pending review, on May 1.”

In total, Air Canada operates an average of 16 weekly flights to four destinations in Cuba from Toronto: four weekly flights to Cayo Coco, two to Holguín, four to Varadero, and one weekly flight to Santa Clara; and from Montreal, three weekly flights to Cayo Coco and two to Varadero.

Other Canadian airlines have issued their own travel alerts or implemented more flexible cancellation options. Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat, and Sunwing announced rebooking or cancellation options without penalties. In its advisory, WestJet cited “power outages” as the reason for an alert covering all flights to and from Cuba from Sunday through February 26, 2026.

From Spain, Iberia and Air Europa reported on Monday that their flights traveling from Havana to Madrid will require a technical refueling stop in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The measure mirrors what has occurred in similar previous situations in Cuba—both during the Special Period in the 1990s and during temporary “bottlenecks” in recent months—when airlines addressed the problem by rerouting departures from the island with extra stops to refuel in Mexico or the Dominican Republic.

However, the measures taken by Canada are the ones that hit the country hardest and could ultimately bring down one of the sectors the government clings to. Tourism from that country—the island’s historically largest source of visitors—has improved slightly in recent months but continues to register significant losses compared to the past. In 2025, 754,010 Canadian visitors were recorded, 12.4% fewer than the previous year, and a tragedy when compared to the 1.3 million in 2015. The situation is relatively similar to Russia’s, where a massive advertising push sought to reach 200,000 travelers after recent successes, but fell to a paltry figure: 131,882, 29% fewer than in 2024.

Cuba closed 2025 with just 1,810,663 international visitors, far from the 1.9 million forecast in Parliament in mid-December and even worse compared to plans made a year earlier. The projection then was 2.6 million, 30.3% more than what was ultimately achieved.

The U.S. oil squeeze has also led governments in the Americas and Europe to issue warnings to potential travelers. The messages follow a similar pattern, urging caution due to worsening shortages of electricity, fuel, and basic necessities—including food, water, and medicines—which can also affect tourist facilities.

These announcements come amid complaints on social media that several hotels have been closed and their guests relocated to other establishments.

Against this backdrop, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Russia is seeking solutions together with Cuban authorities and will do what it can to help address the airport crisis and facilitate the return of Russian tourists. “Through diplomatic channels as well as other avenues, we maintain intense contacts with our Cuban friends,” Peskov said during his daily phone briefing, noting that “the situation in Cuba is truly critical.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Up to 20 Years in Prison Could Await Cuban Ballplayer Yasiel Puig for Illegal Betting

The former Los Angeles Dodgers player is accused of perjury and obstruction of justice in the United States

Yasiel Puig in an image from his time playing baseball in South Korea. / Instagram

14ymedio, Havana, February 8, 2026 – Yasiel Puig, also known as El Caballo Salvaje (The Wild Horse), was found guilty of obstruction of justice and perjury in an illegal betting case. The Cuban ballplayer faces up to 20 years in prison, with his sentencing scheduled for May 26.

The charges against Puig stem from a videoconference interview with investigators in January 2022, during which he allegedly lied about his involvement in sports betting.

“Authorities say that he denied having bet with Wayne Nix, the ringleader of an illegal gambling network, despite evidence showing that he placed 899 bets on American football, basketball, and tennis events between July and September 2019,” journalist Francys Romero reported.

“It’s sad. From a sporting standpoint, Puig is among the 10 most talented ballplayers of the last 10 or 15 years,” Romero said. The player had “an innate ability to make things happen” on the field. “It shouldn’t have ended this way,” he lamented.

During the trial, which lasted 13 days in a Los Angeles court, Puig’s lawyers tried to prove his innocence, arguing that there had been “a misunderstanding during the interview, poor handling of the language, and issues of attention deficit disorder,” emphasized the journalist, who has closely followed the case.

However, testimony from Major League Baseball officials and from Donny Kadokawa, a baseball coach in Hawaii through whom Puig placed his bets, proved decisive in determining the guilt of the native of Cienfuegos. continue reading

“I want to clear my name,” Puig said in a statement in 2022. / Instagram

In addition, the court considered Puig’s breach of a plea agreement with prosecutors from August 2022. The ballplayer had agreed to one count of making false statements and to pay a fine of at least $55,000. Puig acknowledged a total of $280,000 in losses from illegal bets placed through a third party, former minor-league pitcher Wayne Nix.

“I want to clear my name,” Puig said in a statement months later. “I never should have agreed to plead guilty to a crime I didn’t commit,” he added at the time. Three years later, the defendant posted a statement on the platform X asserting: “This story is not over yet, and they didn’t tell you the whole story the first time.”

Authorities clarified during the trial that Yasiel Puig’s name emerged from a 2017 investigation into Wayne Nix for money laundering and concealing income from the Internal Revenue Service.

Nix pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal sports betting business and one count of filing a false tax return. He is awaiting sentencing.

Puig played seven seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland Guardians, and also spent time playing baseball in South Korea, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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‘Compacted’ Hotels To Regroup the Few Tourists and Deserted Streets: This Is What Cuba Looks Like Without Fuel

Many travelers are left stranded by the suspension of most national bus routes

The regime has begun closing hotels and relocating tourists to other facilities. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, February 8, 2026 – Nearly empty streets, with barely a few cars moving about, and hotels where only a handful of windows remain lit in the Havana night. That is the image captured by 14ymedio reporters following the measures announced by the Cuban government to confront the current crisis. The Island’s economy, which had been in free fall long before, is now bordering on total collapse after the loss of its Venezuelan benefactor and the entry into force of an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump that blocks the arrival of oil to the country.

The package of decisions, presented as a “contingency plan,” has had an immediate impact on daily life. The drastic reduction in fuel consumption has emptied the streets, limited transportation, and reinforced the sense of paralysis. The capital, traditionally the last stronghold to feel the harshest cutbacks, now appears plunged into a gloom the rest of the country has endured for years.

Many passengers who traveled to other provinces to visit family members have been left stranded, uncertain about how or when they will be able to return home. This is the case of Amalia, a resident of Havana who was in Sancti Spíritus, in the center of the Island. In the WhatsApp group where she was trying to secure a seat, the bus driver warned that if he could not fill the available seats, the trip would be canceled. “There’s no fuel in all of Santa Clara,” he wrote. “If we don’t leave today, it’s possible we won’t be able to leave at all.”

One of the hardest-hit sectors is tourism, for years presented as the engine of the economy. The regime has begun closing hotels and relocating tourists to other facilities, an unprecedented decision in the middle of the high season. Vice Prime Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga spoke on state television about “compacting” the tourism infrastructure to reduce energy consumption, but without offering clear details. In practice, sources in the sector anonymously confirmed to EFE the closure of facilities and the transfer of visitors starting this Saturday, especially in Varadero and the northern cays.

The package of decisions, presented as a “contingency plan,” has had an immediate impact on daily life. / 14ymedio

The measure directly affects foreign hotel chains operating on the Island, including Spain’s Meliá and Iberostar, as well as Canada’s Blue Diamond Resorts. The scene of half-empty hotels and darkened hallways contrasts with the official discourse continue reading

that insists on shielding tourism as a strategic sector, even at the expense of other areas of the economy.

The figures confirm that the problem is not temporary. In 2025, Cuba closed with barely 1.8 million international visitors, the worst figure since 2002 if the pandemic years are excluded. Hotel occupancy fell to 21.5% in the first half of the year, and the main source markets, Canada and Russia, also declined. Far behind are the 4.7 million tourists reached in 2018 during the thaw with the United States.

The energy crisis is the immediate trigger of this new collapse. Since mid-2024, constant breakdowns at obsolete thermoelectric plants and the lack of hard currency to import fuel have pushed the system to the brink. Added to this was the geopolitical blow in January from the U.S. military operation in Caracas, which cut off a vital supply for Havana, and the subsequent executive order by Donald Trump threatening sanctions against countries that sell oil to the Island.

To face this scenario, the government has turned to a familiar manual: fuel rationing, prioritization of telework, hybrid classes at universities, and the suspension of scheduled surgeries in hospitals—a sign of how far the energy crisis has already reached into essential services. This is accompanied by an explicit appeal to Fidel Castro’s “guidelines” during the Special Period. His successor in power, Miguel Díaz-Canel, even revived the concept of “option zero,” that survival plan designed for a scenario of “zero oil.”

The economy is exhausted, the productive fabric devastated, and the population lacks the resilience it had in the 1990s. / 14ymedio

However, more than three decades later, the context is different and, in some respects, more fragile. The economy is exhausted, the productive fabric devastated, and the population lacks the resilience it had in the 1990s. The result is a society subjected to forced contraction, where every “temporary” measure is perceived as the prelude to something worse.

Adding to this panorama is another collapse: that of the Ticket platform, used for fuel distribution, which can only be purchased with dollars at Cimex service stations. The inclusion of new virtual waiting rooms caused congestion that left thousands of users without clear information or effective access to the service. Informal channels are now trying to organize the chaos, confirming that even the State’s digital solutions buckle under the magnitude of the crisis.

The video of semi-dark hotels in Havana is the most faithful representation of a country entering survival mode, where tourism shrinks, transportation disappears, and night advances over buildings that once symbolized a luxury reserved for the privileged. Against the official discourse of resilience and opportunity, reality shows that collapse is no longer merely announced. It is seen and felt on every street of the Island.

Translated by Regina Anavy
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Venezuela’s “De-Cubanization” After Maduro’s Fall Leaves Thousands of Cubans in Limbo

“They say we’re all going to leave in the coming months because the cooperation agreement won’t be renewed”

The Venezuelan opposition has repeatedly denounced this cooperation as a form of interference and loss of sovereignty. / Cubadebate

14ymedio, Havana, February 8, 2026 – Cuba’s presence in Venezuela is going through one of its most uncertain moments since, more than two decades ago, both countries sealed a strategic alliance based on exchanging oil for professional services. The capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. troops on January 3 accelerated a process that sources consulted in Caracas describe as a progressive de-Cubanization of the country, visible both in official discourse and in everyday life.

“I’m careful when I go out not to speak so they don’t notice my accent, because Cubans are no longer welcome here,” Mariana, a 32-year-old Cuban doctor on official mission in Caracas, tells 14ymedio. The physician, who asks that her real identity not be revealed, says that for weeks her clinical work has dropped sharply. “Since the 3rd, if I’ve seen one patient, that’s a lot,” she explains. According to her account, Cuban doctors are in a state of virtual “barracking,” without clear guidance about whether they will remain or return to the Island.

“I have several colleagues who have already gone back, but so far they’re doctors who had already finished their mission and were waiting for their return flight to be arranged,” she says. “In any case, what’s being said is that we’re all going to leave in the coming months because the cooperation agreement won’t be renewed.” Another sign reinforcing that imminent departure is the poor supply of materials: “We’ve practically not been given the resources we need for consultations and procedures; right now we don’t know what we’ll have to keep working.”

The doctor adds that, unlike other years, the usual meetings at which the annual plans for Cuban missions in Venezuela are communicated were not held in January 2026. “Normally those guidelines are given by the end of January, but this year there’s been nothing,” she says. The absence of instructions reinforces a sense of provisionality among the Cubans, in a political context marked by the redefinition of alliances and the growing presence of the U.S. in Venezuelan reality. continue reading

An estimated 30,000 Cuban professionals work in Venezuela

Although the real figure is unknown, it is estimated that nearly 30,000 Cuban professionals—doctors, sports trainers, technical advisers, and personnel linked to intelligence and security services—currently work in Venezuela as part of agreements signed during the governments of Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez. The Venezuelan opposition has repeatedly denounced this cooperation as a form of interference and loss of sovereignty, arguing that key sectors of the State were left under Cuban influence.

For years, the most critical voices have spoken of a “Cubanization” that permeated not only surveillance and social-control schemes but also public discourse and ways of working in ministries and official institutions, including the presence of Cuban personnel in torture centers such as El Helicoide, headquarters of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin), in Caracas.

Several detainees in those centers reported that among the interrogators one could hear a “Cuban accent,” according to a report published in 2024 in El Confidencial. This participation would not be isolated but rather part of cooperation agreements signed between Havana and Caracas that, critics say, enabled the transfer of repressive techniques and the direct presence of Cuban police in planning and control roles within Venezuela’s security apparatus.

Organizations such as the Casla Institute have brought these complaints before international bodies, arguing that the involvement of Cuban officers in repression, arbitrary detentions, and torture at El Helicoide and other detention centers is not accidental but the result of decades of alliances between the two governments. According to these allegations, the repressive machinery designed on the Island helped systematize practices of state violence, including detention without due process, interrogations under torture, and forced disappearances, used to punish dissidents and opponents of the Venezuelan government.

Caracas has sent signals of symbolic and practical distancing from Havana

That framework began to crack after Maduro’s detention and the rise of Delcy Rodríguez as a central figure in the current government. Since then, Caracas has sent signals of symbolic and practical distancing from Havana. At recent official events, the presence of the Cuban flag—common for years at ceremonies and institutional events—has been reduced, and changes have occurred in posts held by officials of Cuban origin or closely linked to bilateral cooperation.

The constant presence of high-ranking officials from the Havana regime has also diminished. It used to be rare for a week to pass without Island newscasts airing the arrival of some Cuban leader in Caracas, where they were feted and received at the highest level. The red carpets and handshakes now seem more focused on envoys of Donald Trump than on Havana’s former allies.

One of the most commented gestures was the reshuffle at the Ministry of Tourism, where Leticia Gómez, a Cuban national, was replaced by one of Diosdado Cabello’s daughters—a decision interpreted as part of a process to reduce the weight of foreign presence. Local analysts note that these moves aim to send a message both to the Venezuelan population and to Washington at a time when the new political balance is still being negotiated.

On Venezuelan streets, the change is also felt. Yusniel, a Cuban sports trainer who has been in Caracas for more than two years and asked to use a fictitious name, says he has stepped up his precautions. “Being Cuban right now here isn’t something you can go around advertising,” he says. He reports hearing direct criticism after rumors circulating for years about Cubans’ participation in the security ring protecting Maduro were confirmed. “That has weighed heavily on how people see us,” he adds. “The label of interlopers is something they’re never going to take away from us.”

“They tell me Venezuela has come out of the tunnel and Cuba is coming behind”

At the same time, Yusniel says several Venezuelan friends have offered to help if he decides to stay in the country. “They tell me Venezuela has come out of the tunnel and Cuba is coming behind,” he recounts. The phrase sums up a sentiment repeated in private conversations: the idea that the collapse of the Chavista model could foreshadow similar transformations on the Island, and that staying in Venezuela might represent an opportunity compared with an eventual return to Cuba.

The impact of de-Cubanization is especially noticeable in the health system. For years, clinics and hospitals in working-class neighborhoods of Caracas and other cities operated largely with Cuban personnel. Since January, however, medical care has been notably reduced at several centers.

For Cuba, the pullback of its presence in Venezuela represents a tremendous economic blow. Medical and technical missions in the oil-rich country have for years been one of the government’s main sources of hard currency. An accelerated withdrawal or a significant reduction of this contingent would worsen the Island’s already precarious financial situation, marked by falling tourism, fuel shortages, and declining international support.

So far, neither Havana nor Caracas has officially announced the end of cooperation. The future of thousands of Cubans on mission will depend largely on how far the U.S. extends its influence over the new Venezuelan scenario and on whether Delcy Rodríguez’s government opts to maintain, renegotiate, or dismantle the agreements inherited from Chavismo. Meanwhile, Mariana and Yusniel wait for a decision that has yet to come and avoid public expressions that give away their origin, such as the very Cuban: “Chico, la cosa está mala” [Man, things are bad].

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Culture Becomes One of the First Victims of Cuba’s Collapse

The regime prioritizes theaters of military operations and tank parades over the Book Fair.

Among the measures announced is the postponement of the 34th Havana International Book Fair 2026. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, Yunior García Aguilera, February 7, 2026 – Every time the Cuban regime meets in congresses and plenary sessions with artists and intellectuals, it repeats the worn-out refrain that “culture is the first thing that must be saved.” The phrase sounds good, sweetens the ears of the salaried thinkers of official ideology, and allows more than one “sobaco ilustrado” [illustrated armpit] to applaud. The problem is that reality insists on disproving it and does so with a bluntness that no longer allows for euphemisms or metaphors.

The official note from the Cuban Book Institute announcing the postponement of the 34th Havana International Book Fair 2026 is yet more proof. The country’s main cultural event is put on hold—the only one that for years allowed many Cubans access to new books, exchanges with authors, and, with luck, the chance to buy something more than pamphlets. And, as usual, the explanation does not appeal to internal incapacity but to the ever-present enemy: the “genocidal blockade” and the “escalation of aggressions.”

What is declared a priority is “defense and internal order.” Whatever resources remain will be devoted without hesitation to the fair of rifles and mines, the “theater of military operations,” the olive-green runway and the AKM slung over the shoulder as the latest fashion statement. Culture—by which I mean the real kind, the kind that doubts, questions, moves, and transforms—is usually far too dangerous for a State at war.

The culture “of the people” is relegated to commemorative acts, mandatory anniversaries, and tasteless spectacles designed for propaganda

But Cuba’s cultural collapse did not begin yesterday, nor can it be explained by a single contingency. It is a prolonged, measurable, and deliberate process.

Between 2019 and 2024, state-run publishing production collapsed dramatically. According to official data, print runs fell by more than 70%. The price of paper—imported, yes, but managed by an inefficient State—became prohibitive even for the institutional apparatus itself.

Cinema has fared no better. National production has been reduced to historic lows. The Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) is becoming “Russified,” seeking to revive old ideological alliances through sporadic co-productions, unfinished projects, and a growing dependence on funds from its authoritarian cronies.

In theater and music, the situation is just as alarming. continue reading

Iconic groups have reduced performances or disappeared altogether. National tours have been almost impossible for years due to the lack of transportation, fuel, and per diems. Many musicians can no longer survive even by playing in hotels—making “soup”—because tourism has also been in decline long before 2026 shook the entire regional board. The culture “of the people” is relegated to commemorative events, obligatory anniversaries, and tasteless shows designed for propaganda.

In this context of collapse, the official announcement to “strengthen community art” appears as a perfect alibi. No one disputes the value of cultural work in neighborhoods, schools, or small, remote communities. The problem lies in the political use the government makes of that notion.

That is why it surprises no one that, at this critical hour, art becomes one of the first victims

The regime prefers a fragmented, local art with low symbolic impact and little national reach, because it is easier to control and less dangerous. A mural, a children’s workshop, or an occasional gathering can serve as a momentary anesthetic against hunger, blackouts, and hopelessness, without questioning the structural causes of that misery. Community art, understood this way, entertains, numbs, fills time, and goes straight into compliance reports. That is why art that builds a loyal audience, creates spaces for debate, or—worse still for those in power—collective dissent, is avoided.

The other side of that “measure” is the systematic surveillance and repression of art that makes people uncomfortable. Any creator who tries to go beyond fleeting entertainment, who connects the intimate with the political, or who challenges the spectator as a citizen rather than a captive audience member, automatically enters the danger zone. This is where the decision by El Ciervo Encantado, one of the country’s most important and coherent theater collectives, to leave the institutional system belongs. As does the expulsion of playwright Roberto Viñas as a professor at the University of the Arts. Or the detention in Holguín of the young members of El4tico, who encourage critical thinking through social media.

Added to this is the exodus. In recent years, Cuba has lost thousands of writers, visual artists, filmmakers, actors, editors, and curators. The country that once boasted of its symbolic capital now expels, one by one, those who produce it.

The regime has never defended culture as a diverse and living space; it defends a domesticated, utilitarian version, subordinate to the official narrative. That is why it surprises no one that, in this critical moment, art becomes one of the first victims. On the altar of collapse, culture is always among the first offerings sacrificed.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuba Grinds to a Halt Under New Government Measures to Address the Fuel Crisis

Gasoline is rationed and sold only in dollars; public transportation is drastically reduced, and food prices are rising.

The near-total absence of buses is pushing the population toward private transportation, now almost the only option available. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, Darío Hernández, February 7, 2026 – Empty bus stops are seen across much of Havana, a city that is nearly paralyzed. In Regla and Guanabacoa, where until recently route A29 connected both municipalities, not a single bus runs today. Urban public transportation, already fragile, has practically disappeared. And the new measures announced this Friday threaten to make the situation even worse, even as authorities avoid using the word “collapse.”

In other areas, such as the Guanabacoa intersection, people do gather, but not because there are active routes. There, inspectors stop State-owned vehicles and force drivers to take on passengers. “There aren’t many State cars on the road either,” explains a woman waiting, with no certainty about how many hours it will take her to reach her destination. The result is an improvised, irregular, and humiliating form of mobility, where getting around depends on luck, charity, or administrative coercion.

The near-total absence of buses is pushing the population toward private transportation, now almost the only option available, but getting around Havana this way has become a luxury. A trip in a private car from the Guanabacoa traffic light to Parque de la Fraternidad cost 350 pesos this week; from there to El Vedado, another 200. In total, 550 pesos to cross the city. “I spent the money I had planned for this outing just on transportation,” one passenger sums up as he gets out of a taxi.

Getting around depends on luck, charity, or administrative coercion. / 14ymedio

Electric tricycles, once presented as a “sustainable” alternative, barely ease the situation. “They’re only a little cheaper, 50 or 100 pesos less than cars,” a passenger told 14ymedio. In addition, their fares are also soaring. For the past two weeks, ticket prices have been rising exponentially, and transport continue reading

operators themselves warn that the increases will continue as long as the fuel shortage persists.

These vehicles, which are lightweight and with a maximum capacity of six passengers, also have the additional problem that the configuration of their wheels prevents them from effectively navigating potholes. This forces drivers to move at very slow speeds and take dangerous detours to avoid falling into the many potholes that dot Havana’s streets.

The impact of the current restrictions is not limited to mobility. The transportation crisis is already beginning to be reflected in the prices of basic goods. A small shopkeeper in Regla reported that his suppliers raised the price of all bread by 20 pesos “because of the fuel issue,” and he fears the same will happen with other foods. The rising cost of transportation is almost immediately passed on to the cost of living.

“People think that since work hours are shortened and school is cut back, there’s no need to move around,” reflects a resident of Guanabacoa. “But what do I do if I want to see a relative, go out at night, or visit a nearby place like Havana or El Vedado?” The question sums up a reality that official discourse avoids: the city is not only about work and school; it is also about social life, relationships, and leisure. All of that is now conditioned on having enough money to pay an inflated fare.

The new restrictions have been presented as an “opportunity.” / 14ymedio

The official measures do little to dispel public fears, even though they have been presented as an “opportunity.” On the television program Mesa Redonda [Round Table], Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga acknowledged the “low availability” of fuel and announced new restrictions. The Cimex Corporation reported that “until conditions allow, fuel sales in CUP and the commercialization of diesel fuel in USD to the population are postponed.”

In addition, starting February 7, the Ticket app will be implemented at service stations that sell gasoline in dollars, as had previously been done with purchases in pesos. The stated goal is to “organize the process,” but the imposed limit, 20 liters per turn, confirms the magnitude of the shortage. Far from normalizing access, the measure institutionalizes rationing and excludes those who do not earn in hard currency.

At the same time, the Ministry of Transportation has announced a drastic reduction in interprovincial services, the suspension of national routes, and adjustments to urban and worker transportation across the country. Trains with widely spaced departures—every eight days—canceled buses, and exclusive priority for sectors deemed “strategic” complete a picture of near-total paralysis.

In practice, the State is withdrawing from everyday mobility and shifting the problem onto citizens. Those who can pay can move; those who cannot, stay put. “People who don’t have money will get around through charity or won’t get around at all,” one comment concludes. This is the country’s new reality.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Cuba Approaches the “Zero Option”: Surgeries Suspended in Hospitals, Tourist Hotels Closed

The fuel crisis is forcing bus routes to be reduced, the sugar harvest to be halted in Sancti Spíritus, and an international congress with 1,500 participants to be canceled.

Line to buy fuel at a gas station in Sancti Spíritus this Friday. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, Olea Gallardo, February 6, 2026 – A critical shortage of basic medicines, the cancelation of surgeries, and the suspension of transport for outpatient patients: This is, for now, the situation in many hospitals in Cuba in the face of an unprecedented fuel crisis, which the regime has not even named this time. “Contingency or emergency, I don’t know,” a provincial Public Health employee told 14ymedio, asking for anonymity. “Because the president talked and talked but said nothing. He was asked everything and dodged everything, and said that other people would be in charge of explaining the energy issue.”

She was referring to Miguel Díaz-Canel’s appearance this Thursday, when the president stated that the government has designed a plan to deal with the fuel shortage that has worsened since the U.S. intervention in Venezuela on January 3. But he did not specify any concrete measures beyond voluntarist promises and the usual victimizing slogans against the “imperial government” and the “enemy.” “We are going to live through difficult times,” he limited himself to saying, betting on overcoming obstacles with one of his favorite phrases, “creative resistance.”

Díaz-Canel did announce that “a group of ministers and vice ministers will gradually provide information” about the measures, approximately “in a week,” but in some institutions the restrictions are already being made known. This is the case in Health, as the worker detailed to this newspaper.

“They’re discharging a lot of inpatients,” she says, “and gathering all the information on available resources to see where savings can be made.”

“All surgeries and the transportation of patients from other municipalities are canceled due to a lack of fuel,” she reports, asking that the name of the hospital where she works be withheld, where a “contingency” has been in effect since yesterday. “They’re discharging many of the hospitalized patients,” she adds, “and compiling all the information on available resources to see where cuts can be made.”

The list lays out the panorama. “We have diesel for 160 hours, and the boilers are covered for two days. We have propane for 47 days, but the incinerator has almost no burning capacity, just enough for 1.8 days,” she recounts. The shortage of medicines is also striking: “There is no pethidine to relieve labor pains, no analgesics in general, no antihypertensives, no hydration serum, no catheters, no gauze: it’s all at zero.” continue reading

As for antibiotics, she continues, coverage is also “very low”: Encomed, the Medicines Marketing Company, promised a delivery, but “didn’t have fuel to bring it and nothing has arrived.” For patients undergoing hemodialysis, they have concentrate for three days, and hospital disinfectant for seven.

As for food, she says they have rice and grains for about 15 days, but “protein is almost gone. There’s ground meat for two days and chicken for three.” Although the employee trusts that “they’ll come up with something, because we’re not going to die,” there is still uncertainty about possible solutions.

In the absence of government statements, information passed by word of mouth is proliferating. A healthcare worker at a polyclinic in Ciego de Ávila told 14ymedio that they have been warned that only the emergency ward will be maintained and that doctors must bring “their rechargeable lamp to work.”

On social media, reports say that several hotels in the Keys have been closed and their guests relocated to other establishments

The sugar harvest in Sancti Spíritus, already meager, has been halted, according to an employee at the Melanio Hernández mill. “They ordered state transportation and everything in general to stop,” the man says.

Likewise, on social media, it is reported that several hotels in the Keys have been closed and their guests relocated to other establishments.

“This was the message that guests at the Valentin Perla Blanca hotel in Cayo Santa María received this morning,” wrote Adelth Bonne Gamboa on social media this Thursday, illustrating the post with an image of the letter distributed by the customer service team. “Not even the employees themselves know the reason for the closure,” the activist explained; “they were simply informed this morning that the facilities would stop operating at 4:00 pm today.”

Officially, for now, very few agencies have published concrete measures. One of them is the Provincial Directorate of the Isle of Youth, which, among nearly twenty points, calls for leaving “only indispensable administrative personnel” at workplaces and decrees the “total shutdown” of electricity service in state buildings throughout the weekend, including Friday, as well as the closure of boarding schools and “recreational areas and bars.”

In addition, the authorities say, “one hundred percent of investments in the territory are halted,” including those of the Electric Company, Agriculture, and Fisheries. This contrasts with Díaz-Canel’s words yesterday, when he explained that if there were areas with more blackouts, specifically in Havana and during the day, it was because resources were being prioritized for actions that would activate the economy.

As for the territory’s connection with the rest of the country, it remains up in the air: the statement indicates that the departure of the ferry Perseverancia is “being evaluated” “once or twice a week depending on fuel availability and the guarantee of transportation from Batabanó to Havana.”

In Las Tunas, as of this Friday, national bus departures to Camagüey, Holguín, and Santiago de Cuba have been suspended “due to the worsening availability of fuel in the country.” Only one route to Havana remains, the 9:00 pm “express,” and the alternate route to Matanzas is also suspended. It will not be the only measure, reported Tiempo 21, but the next ones to be announced—“related primarily to national passenger transportation, especially rail service”—are being studied.

In addition, the authorities say, “one hundred percent of investments in the territory are halted,” including those of the Electric Company, Agriculture, and Fisheries

For its part, the University of Havana has decreed, among other resolutions, the “postponement” of the international congress that was to be held in just a few days, which was expected to bring together more than 1,500 delegates, 500 of them from 32 countries, and the extension of the “hybrid modality to all degree programs and Higher University Technician programs,” starting this Friday and for 30 days.

If one looks to the official press for information on the measures, only reporter Elsa Ramos of Escambray asks relevant questions: “How is priority established for distributing the little fuel that reaches service stations? Why are sales in dollars prioritized? Why are cards topped up and charges made if there is no backing in cash? To what extent is it true that the sale of gas, when it appears, will be in dollars?”

The official she interviews, Camilo Pérez Pérez, coordinator of Government Programs and Objectives in Sancti Spíritus, doesn’t fully answer everything, but he is forced to offer some details. For example, the order for the Dairy Company to transport milk “in different thermoses” to reduce vehicle mileage, or the rehabilitation of ovens at the Food Company to produce bread “with firewood.”

In Education, Pérez indicates, without details, that “alternatives are being applied” both for student transportation and food preparation, “mainly in boilers,” where “savings can be made.”

Likewise, the official acknowledged that “at this moment there is no guarantee for private carriers linked to passenger transportation, since only state vehicles are being prioritized due to restrictions.” He did, however, rule out the feared “zero option” that has been on everyone’s lips in Cuba in recent weeks: “We have never been at zero. It has been fairly responsible work, above all by all the consuming entities, and with good communication and alerts about the difficulties we may have in each place. Decisions have been made and services have been guaranteed.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuban Police Recruit Personnel As the Country Goes Through a Deep Crisis

It is another sign of the Cuban regime’s concern over public discontent and pressure from the United States.

The program promises to graduate recruits, through this fast-track training, with the rank of second lieutenant. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, February 6, 2026 – Cuba’s National Revolutionary Police published a call on social media this Wednesday aimed at young people between 18 and 35 years old to train as officers through a six-month basic police training course followed by an eleven-month upper secondary–level program. The initiative promises to graduate participants, through this accelerated training, with the rank of second lieutenant and also grant them direct access to a Bachelor’s degree in Law at police university campuses, without the need to take an entrance exam.

Reactions on social media were swift. “How things have changed. Fifteen years ago I really struggled to reach the second rank of non-commissioned officer through good behavior, but oh well, I wish the new ones success,” commented user Yanet Rivas on the official Facebook post. The call also sparked much more critical reactions, such as that of user Luciana de Lara: “I wouldn’t become a police officer even if I were crazy, because they go through the same hardships as the people and can’t say anything.”

As noted by Cuba x Cuba magazine, citing a similar call published in 1990 by the newspaper Juventud Rebelde, police training at that time lasted two years and was structured in two stages: a first year of common core training and a second year of specialization.

The loosening of requirements to enter the police force reflects the lack of demand to join the regime’s main repressive body, compounded by population decline. For more than four years now, following the repression unleashed after the nationwide protests of July 11, there has been a massive exodus of young people of working age. According to a study by independent demographer Juan Carlos Albizu Campos, Cuba’s population has shrunk by 24% in just four years. continue reading

The force’s poor image due to the arbitrariness of its actions and the ignorance of its members is also not negligible.

The force’s poor image due to the arbitrariness of its actions and the ignorance of its members is also not negligible. It is well known that in Havana most police officers—or “pitufos” [smurfs], as they are colloquially called—are young people, generally with limited resources, who arrive from the eastern provinces, often without even knowing the capital.

On January 28, for example, amid this escalation of repression against activists and independent journalists, Yoani Sánchez, director of this newspaper, was detained on the street by a young man in civilian clothes, no older than 25, who was unable to tell fellow officers his location when requesting backup.

In the midst of the deep structural and energy crisis gripping the country, the urgency to rapidly expand the police force is striking. This Thursday, at a press conference, Díaz-Canel stated that the country is preparing for a “wartime scenario,” asserting that the entire defense system and State institutions are gearing up in response to an alleged attempt at aggression, and announcing plans for political mobilization and communication designed for that context. According to a report published this Thursday by Prisoners Defenders, the Island is currently setting a historical record for political prisoners, with a total of 1,207, with 18 detained so far in 2026 alone.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuban State Security Detains Members of an Independent Digital Platform in Holguín

With 35,000 followers on Facebook and 50,000 on Instagram, the creators of El4tico appeal to a generation raised amid scarcity, censorship, and a lack of prospects.

Unlike the image of a grateful youth the regime tries to project, the members of the project break away from the submissive mass the authorities aspire to. / Screenshot / Facebook

14ymedio, Havana, February 6, 2026 – This Friday in Holguín, police and State Security detained Ernesto Medina and Kamil Zayas, members of the El4tico project, during an operation that included surrounding a home in the Piedra Blanca neighborhood. From 6:33 a.m., neighbors confirmed the presence of two patrol cars and a police truck. The deployment looked like a raid against armed and dangerous criminals, although the young residents’ “crime” is something else: publicly expressing what they think.

They are members of an independent space for audiovisual creation and political opinion with a strong presence on social media. The harassment by repressive forces was recorded and shared by the communicators themselves on their digital stories. The action confirms a hardening of police pressure against a group that has gained visibility for its critical and direct discourse against the Cuban regime.

In the video, just a few minutes long, several agents—at least one in uniform and others in plain clothes—are seen stationed at the entrance of the home. The officers display their usual arrogance, though this time they are aware they are being watched by a phone camera broadcasting live. From inside the house, the project’s members repeatedly ask about the legal basis for the operation, even though they know that in Cuba, State institutions act under directives from the single party and its control apparatus. continue reading

The detainees were taken to the Criminal Investigation headquarters in the city of Holguín, popularly known as “Everybody Sings”

According to sources close to El4tico’s members, Medina was detained and taken away in handcuffs. During the operation, agents confiscated his electronic devices. Doris Santiesteban, who also lives in the house, remained there, though cut off from communication. Zayas, another member of the project, was arrested at his own home, where authorities likewise seized his work equipment.

The detainees were transferred to the Criminal Investigation headquarters in Holguín, popularly known as “Everybody Sings,” an allusion to the methods used during interrogations.

El4tico was launched by these young people from Holguín who decided to turn a room in their home into an improvised studio to produce videos for social media. From there they publish political messages, civic analyses, and calls for citizen responsibility. Their style is blunt, without metaphors or euphemisms, and speaks directly to a generation raised amid scarcity, censorship, and a lack of expectations.

Unlike the image of a grateful youth the regime tries to project, the project’s members escape the applauding, submissive, or silent mass the authorities aspire to. Their content lays bare the moral degradation of the system from within, doing so with a transparent, raw aesthetic, without affectation. That combination has allowed them to amass more than 35,000 followers on Facebook and surpass 50,000 on Instagram, in addition to a growing audience on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube.

This is not the first time El4tico’s protagonists have faced harassment by the authorities. In recent months they have reported verbal summons, informal warnings, and repeated police visits. According to their accounts, the aim is not to investigate a specific crime, but to intimidate, wear them down, and force silence, a practice widely documented against activists, independent journalists, and content creators who are inconvenient for those in power.

They have understood that documenting the harassment and making it public is both a form of protection and a denunciation

The episode comes just one day after President Miguel Díaz-Canel, at a press conference reserved for friendly media, repeated the word “youth” 28 times to underscore the role of new generations. Judging by the facts, the young people of El4tico are not among those whom the president asked to be treated “as the important people they are within our society,” nor among those who “continue to have confidence because they know that life projects are more possible here than elsewhere.”

The problem for the regime is that these young people belong to a generation that no longer waits for permission to speak and is not easily intimidated by the uniform. They have understood that documenting harassment and making it public is, at once, a form of protection and a denunciation.

Since the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, a tightening of repression has been recorded in Cuba. In January alone, the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) documented more than 400 repressive actions nationwide, including police summons,, arbitrary detentions, acts of repudiation, and threats against activists, journalists, and content creators. In that context, a recent report by the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba notes the direct participation of Communist Party and Young Communist League cadres in acts of intimidation, including those directed against the U.S. chargé d’affaires on the Island, Mike Hammer.

By recording and sharing the scene, El4tico’s members move the conflict from the private sphere to the public digital space, where the State loses control of the narrative. The camera exposes what power prefers to happen in silence and shows the world the hypocrisy of a regime that casts itself as a victim of threats from a foreign power while harassing, besieging, and repressing its own dissenting citizens.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Cuban Regime Negotiates Its Survival with Washington, According to ABC News

The Spanish outlet cites anonymous sources in the Mexican government regarding meetings between Raúl Castro’s son and U.S. representatives

Alejandro Castro Espín, at the presentation of his book United States: The Price of Power (2015). / Razones de Cuba / Screenshot

14ymedio, Havana, February 5, 2026 – The front page of ABC this Wednesday expands on information previously reported by independent Cuban journalists such as Carlos Cabrera. Citing Mexican officials as sources, the Spanish newspaper reports that Havana is holding “discreet” talks with Washington aimed at guaranteeing the political survival of Castroism through economic concessions, with General Alejandro Castro Espín, the son of Raúl Castro, acting as the intermediary.

According to the report, he has been leading talks in Mexico City with U.S. intelligence agents, mediated by the government of Claudia Sheinbaum, in an attempt to negotiate a “transition” without the Cuban regime being overthrown.

The first exchanges have revolved around the possible easing of the embargo, which has intensified in recent weeks. This easing could occur by negotiating the entry of U.S. companies into important sectors of the economy, such as energy, tourism, banking, and communications. According to sources among Mexican officials consulted by ABC, a possible initial gesture would be the authorization of sales of American crude oil to Cuba in quantities sufficient to sustain its energy system, which needs between 100,000 and 150,000 barrels continue reading

per day.

A possible initial gesture would be the authorization of sales of American crude oil to Cuba in quantities sufficient to sustain its energy system

This exchange occurred while, in statements to CNN, Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío denied the existence of a formal bilateral dialogue between Cuba and the United States, although he did acknowledge occasional contacts through messages. The official position of the Cuban government contradicts this, as do the statements of Donald Trump himself, who affirmed that negotiations are underway between the two countries.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel declared in his press conference this Thursday that “Cuba is willing to engage in dialogue with the United States,” on the condition that “we do not address issues that we could interpret as interference in our internal affairs.”

Since the U.S. capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3 and the subsequent interruption of oil shipments to Cuba from Venezuela, Mexico has become the Cuba’s sole fuel supplier. However, increased pressure from Washington and the threat of tariffs appear to have deterred President Claudia Sheinbaum from sending more crude oil. Trump’s threats could deepen the humanitarian crisis on the island, at a time when Trump insists that the Castro regime is exhausted.

The potential opening sought through negotiations led by Alejandro Castro seems more like a maneuver by the regime to ensure its political continuity than a step toward democratization or genuine liberalization. The possibility of gaining access to U.S. oil is intended to avert what is known within Cuba’s own power structure as “Option Zero”—the complete paralysis of the country due to a lack of fuel, with no allies capable of sustaining the government—a scenario that has been looming over Cubans in recent days and that President Díaz-Canel appeared to allude to during his appearance this Thursday when he stated that the government is preparing a plan for an “acute fuel shortage” in response to pressure from the United States.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuba Sets Historic Record for Political Prisoners with 1,207 According to Prisoners Defenders

The NGO denounces inhuman conditions and the lack of guarantees for detainees

The year 2026 begins with 18 new political prisoners, according to the latest report by Prisoners Defenders. / EFE

14ymedio, Havana, February 5, 2026 – The year 2026 has begun with 18 new political prisoners, according to the latest report by Prisoners Defenders, published this Thursday, and marks a historic record of 1,207 political prisoners in total. Of these, 436 are seriously ill and 42 suffer from mental disorders without receiving medication.

The Madrid-based NGO specifically denounces the death, on January 22, of Lázaro García Ríos, who died without having received medical assistance. The man, who was detained without an arrest warrant and sentenced to 20 years in prison for throwing Molotov cocktails at the Archive of the Central Havana People’s Court, had repeatedly reported the penitentiary system’s refusal to provide him with medical care.

The report also provides details about the new political prisoners, most of whom were deprived of their liberty for peacefully expressing their opinions on social media. Such is the case of Ankeyli Guerra Fis, who was charged with “propaganda against the constitutional order” following messages posted after the capture of Nicolás Maduro.

Most of the people were deprived of their liberty for peacefully expressing their opinions on social media

On January 20, Prisoners Defenders released another report denouncing the alarming digital surveillance system that the regime has built to suppress dissent. Based on 200 statements, this first comprehensive report on digital surveillance in Cuba concluded that 60% of respondents were detained and interrogated just hours or days after making critical posts against the continue reading

regime. In addition, 46.5% of those interviewed also reported having suffered direct interference in their conversations on applications such as WhatsApp.

A group of Cuban women activists submitted a citizen petition this Wednesday to promote an amnesty law before the National Assembly in order to free political prisoners. Led by Yenisey Mercedes Taboada Ortiz—mother of political prisoner Duannis León Taboada—along with Jenny Pantoja and Miryorly García Prieto, the initiative For an Amnesty Now! has so far gathered more than 1,500 verified signatures of the 10,000 required to request the drafting of a law. Of these, 59% correspond to people living on the island.

The issue, however, is repeatedly avoided by the authorities. Asked about it by the EFE news agency, Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío said that the government “sees no reason to talk about the issue of political prisoners.”

As a point of comparison, there is the case of Venezuela, and the recent proposal by acting president Delcy Rodríguez for a General Amnesty law for political detainees held from 1999 to the present.

Translated by Regina Anavy
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Instead of Dialogue, the Cuban Regime Announces “A Very Difficult Reorganization Process for the Population”

There will be no releases of prisoners, nor political or economic reforms. There is no dialogue with the United States, although “messages have been exchanged.”

The Government announces more sacrifices for Cubans, who are already living at the limit. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, February 4, 2026 – A new Special Period? Another Ordering Task*? The “reorganization process that we have planned (…) and have been preparing” does not yet have a name. “It is not something simple; it is something difficult for government management and something very difficult for the population as a whole.” This is the message the Cuban regime is conveying to international media through one of its lesser spokespeople, Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío.

In an interview with EFE, the number two at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again denies statements by U.S. President Donald Trump about the existence of dialogue between the two countries. However, he qualifies this by saying that “messages have been exchanged” since the January 3 capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

In any case, “the Government of the United States knows perfectly well what Cuba’s position is regarding its willingness to hold a dialogue and has not rejected it,” adds the diplomat, who also denies that there could be indirect contacts through intermediaries such as Mexico or the Vatican.

The official insisted that, in addition to ruling out political and economic reforms, the release of prisoners cannot be “part of the bilateral dialogue between two countries”

The official insisted that, in addition to ruling out political and economic reforms, the release of prisoners (there are around 1,000 political prisoners in Cuba) cannot be “part of the bilateral dialogue between two countries,” unlike what is happening in Venezuela. continue reading

In the interview, Fernández de Cossío categorically rejected even the possibility that there might be a “traitor” to the regime, as, according to sources from The Wall Street Journal, the United States is allegedly seeking, in a manner similar to what occurred in Venezuela. “If one is thinking that there is fragmentation within the Cuban Government, fragmentation within the political forces in Cuba, and a willingness by a small group to give up Cuba’s sovereign rights—the prerogative of our country—and to capitulate in the face of the pressure and aggressiveness of the United States, unjustified and immoral, that is a mistaken interpretation,” he asserted.

The statement aligns with what Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, said this week,“That little act won’t work in Cuba,” but also with what some U.S. officials have stated regarding the matter. Ricardo Zúñiga, a former U.S. official who played a key role in the thaw and who has also worked with the Trump Administration, told the outlet: “These guys are much tougher to crack. No one would be tempted to collaborate with the United States.”

The vice foreign minister, on the contrary, claims that the Island is “preparing for defense,” to “resist a military aggression,” and believes that the Government’s responsibility is to defend the population “as Cubans, not as subjects of the United States.”

“The Government of the United States must know that a military aggression against Cuba is not simple, despite the absolutely asymmetrical superiority that the United States has over Cuba (…). But they would have to ask themselves what the goal is: to bomb and destroy Cuba and leave everything a desolate land, or to try to put soldiers in Cuba and wage a war here against the Cuban people,” he warned.

Fernández de Cossío said that Havana’s objective is for Washington to “understand the danger of an extreme military action on the Island”

Fernández de Cossío said that Havana’s objective is for Washington to “understand the danger of an extreme military action on the Island” and to “not listen to some politicians who have made a career and profited from hostile conduct toward Cuba.”

However, the message of resistance seems aimed more at the population than at Washington, since the Government announces more sacrifices for Cubans, who are already living at the limit, with blackouts of up to 24 consecutive hours, no fuel, food shortages, and catastrophic deterioration of the public health system.

“We have limited options and we also have a need for reorganization in the country that implies it will cost us a great deal of work and will require a lot of creativity.”

The vice foreign minister announced that in the coming days the contingency plan will be communicated to the population: “a reorganization process” that is going to be “very difficult” for the population, he insisted.

*Translator’s note: The Ordering Task was a collection of measures that included eliminating the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), leaving the Cuban peso (CUP) as the only national currency, raising prices, raising salaries (but not as much as prices), opening stores that take payment only in hard currency, which must be in the form of specially issued pre-paid debit cards, and a broad range of other measures targeted to different elements of the Cuban economy

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cubans Are Runners-up in the Asian Handball Championship with Qatar

Frankis Carol Marzo was the team’s second-best scorer, while Rafael Capote added eight goals and two assists

Frankis Carol Marzo records four titles in five participations at Asian Championships with Qatar / Instagram

14ymedio, Matanzas, Andy Lans, February 03, 2026 – Qatar’s handball team, with the Cubans Frankis Carol Marzo and Rafael Capote, finished second in the Asian Championship after losing their eighth consecutive final of the tournament with a score of 29-26 to Bahrain.

In this edition of the competition, held in the United Arab Emirates during the second half of January, Qatar beat Oman (27-15) and South Korea (32-31). Then, the Main Round gave them a pair of wins against Saudi Arabia (32-25) and the host country (25-20), but with a defeat against Bahrain itself (31-28). These results allowed them to enter the semi-final, where they won 27-26 against Kuwait.

Carol and Capote, both 38-year-old wing players, were able to bring Qatar into this edition of the competition. Carol Marzo was the team’s second-best scorer, with 29 goals, for a 57% ERA. He also recorded eight assists and three steals. His most outstanding match was in the Main Round against Bahrain, with 11 goals. In the case of Capote, with participation in five out of seven games played, he scored eight goals and two assists. However, it is worth noting that these Caribbean continue reading

exponents have already come a long way in this national team.

Frankis Carol Marzo signed for Catarí handball in 2021, after a decade at Sporting de Portugal. He currently plays in the Kuwait league. With the selection of Qatar he records four titles in five participations in Asian Championships, in addition to presence in the Worlds of 2019, 2021 and 2025.

Rafael Capote escaped from the Cuban national team during the Pan American Games Rio de Janeiro 2007

For his part, Rafael Capote escaped from the Cuban national team during the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. He played professionally in Brazil, Italy and Spain until he moved to the Catarí league in 2013. There he was nationalized in 2014 to become a key part of that selection. With the Arab team he has participated in seven Asian Championships, between 2014 and 2026, of which he was champion six times; he attended six Worlds, with a final reached in 2015, and in some Olympic Games in 2016, again in Rio.

Years ago, the deliberate nationalizations of players by Qatar sowed controversy in public opinion of handball. The nation hosted the organization of the 2015 World Cup, and based on the naturalized players, set out to put together a representation full of stars. European elite ballers were usually lured into the Qatari league with exorbitant sums of money, and if they agreed to represent Qatar, they received extra bonuses for becoming nationalized. Over time, the International Federation tightened its eligibility rules for selections to regulate this phenomenon. Thanks to this, and the long-term investment in its internal infrastructure, today there are more Qataris by birth in its national pool.

For many, a selection of Qatar full of nationalized handball players was a serious alteration of the nature of competitions between countries, in which each seeks to bring the best of themselves. However, it is not uncommon for an athlete to come to feel genuinely grateful to and identify with a nation that can value him more than the land where he was born.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Castro Brothers and ‘Che’ Guevara Keep an Eye on the Cuban Vice Foreign Minister During His Interview With AP

Fernández de Cossío: Havana is open to dialogue with the US, but “the Constitution, the economy, and the country’s socialist system of government are off the table.”

Archive photograph of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, during an interview with EFE, in Havana. / EFE/Ernesto Mastrascusa

14ymedio, Madrid, February 3, 2026 – Vice Chancellor Carlos Fernández de Cossío positioned himself strategically in front of the photographs of Raúl Castro, Fidel Castro and Ernesto Che Guevara to launch a message to the U.S. during an interview given this Monday to the Associated Press (AP). The idea was simple: to convince people that dialogue is possible, provided it does not mean giving up the basics.

“If you ask me if we have a dialogue table today, we don’t have one,” the diplomat told AP. However, he said that there is a willingness “to maintain this informal dialogue with the U.S.” to discuss “differences.” He pointed out that “certain things are off the table for Cuba, including the constitution, economy and system of government of the country, which is socialist.”

The Vice-Chancellor stressed once again that contacts have been maintained over the years to address border issues, both with regard to emigration and drug trafficking. However, he contradicted the U.S. president, who in the last two days has insisted that talks are already underway with members of the Cuban government.

“Cuba is a peaceful country,” said Fernández de Cossío. “We only want to relate to the United States as we relate to the rest of the world. The U.S. is the exception today,” he reproached. continue reading

“We only wish to relate to America as we relate to the rest of the world. America is the exception today”

The agency specifically asked the diplomat how long the authorities estimate that Cuba could “endure the current conditions,” but Fernández de Cossío avoided answering and opened the door to speculation by saying he could not reveal “any way” to ensure the supply of oil.

“Cuba, of course, is preparing with creativity, stoicism and austerity,” he said. He then left an enigmatic phrase that can
also be interpreted as a bluff: “What can Cuba do? Watch us.”

Fernández de Cossío’s statements came on Monday, just one day after Trump said his pressure will force Cuba to negotiate. “I think they’ll probably come to us and want to make a deal. So Cuba will be free again,” said the president, who rejects the idea of a humanitarian crisis and is convinced that there will be an agreement.

Trump had already stated on two occasions in January that he was in talks with the Cuban regime, something that was denied by the authorities of the Island. Whether true or not, last Thursday he signed an executive order imposing tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba.

Among them is Mexico, whose president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has stated that the delivery of crude to Cuba is an issue she has never discussed with the United States. “We never talked to President Trump about the issue of oil with Cuba,” she said, although she did admit that her chancellor, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, discussed it with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The president announced on Sunday the imminent delivery of humanitarian aid, consisting of food and other basic commodities, to Cuba, while she is evaluating how to resume fuel deliveries. “The Secretary of Navy will deliver food and other products, in which we resolve diplomatically everything that has to do with the shipment of oil for humanitarian reasons,” she revealed.

Sheinbaum added on Monday that she is coordinating with the Cuban Embassy to define what is most needed. “We will report in full detail in due course,” she added.

Sheinbaum added on Monday that she is coordinating with the Cuban Embassy to define what is most needed. “We will report in full detail in due course,” she added

Trump closed that door, at least temporarily, on Monday. Although he did not refer to the statements of Fernández de Cossío to AP nor to the statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in which Cuba reaffirmed “its commitment to cooperate with the U.S. and other nations to strengthen regional and international security.” he insisted on Monday that talks are already underway.

“Many (Cubans) would at least like to visit their relatives, and I think we are close to achieving it. The fact is that we are negotiating with the Cuban leaders right now,” he told the media in the Oval Office.

The president stressed that Cuba is “a failed nation, they do not receive money from Venezuela or anywhere else. It is a bankrupt nation.” He added that “Mexico will stop sending them oil.”

In addition, he made statements that have put some migrants waiting for their regularization on the spot and who fear that a possible dialogue with Havana will lead to their expulsion. “I would like to help the Cubans here. As you know, we have many people who came from Cuba, who were expelled from Cuba, who fled Cuba. They arrived on rafts. They crossed shark-infested waters. I don’t know how they did it. And that was many years ago. Many would want to return,” he said.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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