Reporters from 14ymedio and users confirm widespread shortages in Havana and Matanzas
14ymedio, Havana / Matanzas, Olea Gallardo / Pablo Padilla Cruz, January 30, 2026 – “They’re all false, the capital is paralyzed.” Comments like this are how users in groups dedicated to gasoline sales in Havana responded to the this Thursday about a false official statement.
The spurious text, reproduced by the state company itself, bears Cupet’s letterhead and colors. “Given the serious fuel supply situation affecting the country, worsened by the intensification of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the Government of the United States and the external pressures exerted on our traditional suppliers,” reads the note in the usual government prose, “the Cuba-Petroleum Union (Cupet) and the Ministry of Tourism inform the population and the tourism sector as follows: It has been decided to temporarily halt the general supply of fuel at gas stations and state points of sale as of the date of issuance of this statement and until further notice.”
The measure, the supposedly fake document continued, was “inevitable due to the interruption of imported supplies, caused by hostile actions and foreign pressures that limit access to essential energy resources,” something consistent with the growing hostility from the United States, especially after the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, to prevent fuel from reaching the island.
The statement was not implausible, as it doubled down on blaming “unilateral coercive measures imposed by foreign powers”
The statement was not implausible, as it doubled down on blaming “unilateral coercive measures imposed by foreign powers” and urged people to “avoid non-essential travel and coordinate any priority needs with local authorities.” A “controlled and limited supply” would be allocated to “essential” sectors such as health care, public transportation, electricity generation, and tourism, the text also said, ending with a call for “unity, discipline, and solidarity among all Cuban men and women in these difficult times.”
In a brief tweet, Cupet rejected all of this information, asserting: “This note circulating on some digital media is false. Fuel supplies to the country’s network of gas stations have not been halted.”
However, reports published in recent days by 14ymedio and comments from customers at gas stations in the capital show just how closely reality resembles what the fake Cupet statement described. “There’s hardly any gasoline anywhere. I went by the ones in El Vedado and nothing; at the one at 5th and 120 they came out and said there was little left, not enough for everyone,” one person wrote, referring to stations that sell in pesos.
“At Línea and E people slept there, so the line is intact; nobody is leaving until they restock,” another complained. “Only Zapata and 4 have served regular gas today,” a third reported. A fourth tried to excuse the situation by mentioning stations that have switched to dollar sales: “This story doesn’t change; every day it’s the same stations selling in pesos. Today they already served Coyula, Corral Falso, Infanta, El Mar, Guanabo, Camilo Cienfuegos, Santa María del Rosario, and Hatuey.”
Questions keep coming in the chats. “Does anyone know what’s going on with the Cupet station at G and 25, since the Ticket isn’t advancing?” asked a young man, referring to the app that acts as a “virtual line” to buy fuel. The reply was blunt: “None of them are moving; they’re only serving stations that operate in DOL-LARS, so we’re going to have to get used to paying for gasoline in the currency they wanted to eliminate with the economic restructuring and that now is stronger than ever.” The commenter didn’t stop there and, with emojis and capital letters, added ironically: “Before, 1 dollar was worth 25 CUP and now 1 dollar is worth… So down with the blockade or down with whoever needs to go down.”
The situation in Havana has worsened with the arrival of a cold front from the north. Due to possible storm surges, pumps have been removed from both the El Tángana gas station, located at the Malecón and 13th Avenue, and Riviera, also on the seafront.
Meanwhile, in the provinces, gasoline shortages are also a major source of tension. Added to this, customers complain, is the poor communication of Cimex, the commercial company in charge of gas stations and part of the military conglomerate Gaesa.
In recent weeks in Matanzas, the state company briefly announced fuel sales via the Ticket app, setting a limit of 100 slots for power generators and 50 for motor vehicles. The information, shared with almost no details and even reposted by company employees on social media, sparked a wave of indignation among citizens.
“It is shameful that an entity that forces its workers to post these notes isn’t capable of explaining where, how, and when fuel can be bought”
“It’s shameful that an entity that forces its workers to post these notes isn’t capable of explaining where, how, and when fuel can be bought,” complained Jean Michel, a resident of the Versalles neighborhood. “I wasted hours of my time because they didn’t specify that at the San Luis gas station they were only serving users with power generators.”
He wasn’t the only one confused. Residents of Peñas Altas say the new sales modality raises more questions than answers. “Who exactly is it aimed at—private individuals, state entities, public transport?” asks Ania, who lives in the neighborhood. “In what currency is it sold, CUP or MLC? What amount are we entitled to?” According to her, not even workers at the Oro Negro or Bellamar stations have been able to clarify matters. “Those people think we ordinary folks have time to figure everything out,” complained Marlene, another neighbor.
The confusion also affects Cimex employees themselves. A company worker, who asked not to be identified, told this newspaper that they often share information they themselves don’t know.
“I’m not a communications specialist. I never studied that, but they force me to post on my personal profile things I don’t even know where they come from,” she complained. In her view, at company headquarters “there’s either a lot of inexperience or they simply don’t care how decisions are communicated.” The priority, she says, is to announce that a station is opening, without explaining under what rules or conditions.
This information vacuum has eroded public trust and multiplied wasted time and citizen frustration, especially when it comes to a vital resource. Although slots have been allocated for registered power generators and private vehicles, fear that fuel will run out persists. The turns in line advance extremely slowly and satisfy no one.
Raudel, a resident of the Iglesias neighborhood, has been waiting since last November for his turn—number 613—to buy diesel at the Bellamar station. “When they do have fuel, it’s 50 people at a time, maybe once a month if you’re lucky. If everything goes well, maybe in December I’ll be able to buy what I’m entitled to… and then wait again,” he says resignedly.
Among motorcyclists engaged in informal transport, the situation is even more critical. Darío, who works ferrying passengers, explains that the assigned gasoline doesn’t even come close to meeting his needs. “In USD we can get it at 1.10 or 1.20, but when there isn’t any, which is most of the time, you have to buy from hoarders at 650 or 700 pesos a liter. Do the math for a trip that uses half a liter and tell me if that’s profitable.”
Although the 50 liters sold through the Ticket app somewhat ease the economic burden, the process is riddled with technical and organizational obstacles. “Everything is a problem—the registration, the email, the turn… and when it’s time to distribute, nobody knows anything. Not Cimex, not Cupet, not the workers,” Darío says, adding a common complaint: “Meanwhile, government cars, the Minint [Ministry of the Interior], and the FAR [Armed Forces] fill up without lining up; they have their own station. There’s never a fuel shortage there.”
The deep energy crisis goes beyond national borders and threatens to deepen the collapse of tourism. In one of the Telegram groups for gas stations, a man identifying himself as Gustavo from Argentina asked for help this Thursday to see whether anyone could provide information about gas stations in Cienfuegos, Trinidad, and Ciego de Ávila for a car he had rented from Transtur for an upcoming trip to the island. Replies from some users, saying there are stations where one can pay with international cards, did not reassure him.
In another message, he says he has no guarantee that the vehicle will be delivered with a full tank or that he will be able to refuel in the provinces, and he complains that Transtur has not responded to emails or WhatsApp for three days. “I don’t know how I’m going to manage getting a refund for the car rental; it’s $700,” he says, concluding: “Unfortunately, I’m going to have to cancel my trip to get to know Cuba.” Another commenter replies bluntly: “Cancel your trip! It’s the right decision.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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