English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, 17 November 2025
Translator: GH
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The disease detected in Catalonia has forced the suspension of exports to 40 countries
14ymedio, Havana, November 29, 2025 — The outbreak of African swine fever in groups of Catalan boars has forced the Spanish government to suspend 120 health certificates for the export of various pork products to 40 countries, including Cuba. The ban covers meat and pork products, sausages, hams, pig fat, offal, genetic material, semen, breeding pigs, feed materials, piglets for fattening, intestines and pig embryos.
African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease affecting only domestic and feral pigs. It is not transmitted to humans but causes hemorrhagic fever and high mortality in infected animals. Because of its easy spread and devastating impact on farms, countries impose strict trade restrictions whenever an outbreak occurs.
Spain has not had a case of swine fever since 1994. The current outbreak causes it to lose its African swine fever (ASF)-free status from the World Organization for Animal Health, and, therefore, its products can no longer carry this certificate.
Spain has not had a case of swine fever since 1994
However, not all countries react in the same way to an ASF outbreak. Some large importers, such as China, which is the largest purchaser of Spanish pork, accept regionalization, which means that they will only restrict imports from the affected area, in this case Catalonia, allowing the rest of the Spanish territory to continue exporting normally. This is not the case in Cuba, which does not apply this principle and imposes a total ban on pork products as soon as an outbreak of the disease is detected anywhere in Spain.
The unexpected outbreak is a severe blow to Spanish pig producers and also for Cuba, which depends almost entirely on imports to meet its meat demand due to the collapse continue reading
A pound of boneless pork exceeded 1,000 pesos this November
In most of the country’s agricultural markets, a pound of boneless pork exceeded 1,000 pesos this November, and, as is usually the case, its price will rise as the festivities approach. The suspension of purchases from Spain will make the traditional end-of-year dish even more unaffordable.
So far, there is no official pronouncement by the Cuban health authorities on whether or not the entry of pork products from Spain through travelers or personalized shipments will be maintained. This is a common technique to introduce food into the country, which since 2021 is maintained with a tariff exemption for “non-commercial” import of medicines and food. The situation is aggravated by the proximity of the Christmas dates, when demand for pork meat, sausages and ham grows. This extraordinary situation may hit the pockets of Cuban families hard at end of this year.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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The state owes them a lot of money and lacks production capacity, unlike MSMEs, says entrepreneur Wu Han
14ymedio, Madrid, 28 November 2025 — Chinese businesspeople attending the Havana International Fair (Fihav 2025) have set their sights on Cuba’s private sector. Tired of non-payments, the only thing that currently unites them with the state is almost a feeling of compassion. “We have had a lot of problems and are looking for solutions. It’s not that we want to abandon state-owned companies; we have cooperated over many years. Cuba is going through a difficult situation right now, and we don’t want to put pressure on them,” says Wu Han, representative of the Auto Caiec company on the island.
IPS’s entry into the Expocuba exhibition centre has been a breath of fresh air. The regime only allows accredited press to access Fihav, making it difficult to obtain more than official information about what goes on there. But news agency reporter Dariel Pradas has found a goldmine of Chinese companies in Hall 10 that export from their country to the island, a business niche they have no intention of passing up.
“The situation here is different from other countries. They don’t have the capacity to produce things, and everything has to be brought in from continue reading
“The situation here is different from in other countries. They don’t have the capacity to produce things, and everything has to be brought in from outside, almost always from China.”
His company has been on the island for decades, arriving in 1995 to sell generators. Now, he says, the business includes cars, lorries, agricultural machinery, raw materials, food and fertilisers, among other things. Wu Han says that the main customer was always the state, which was logical during the years when private enterprise was prohibited, but since its creation was approved, things have changed radically and there is now almost no trade with the state sector.
The article points out that the state hardly has any ability to pay, and his company demands payment in advance, “like other Chinese companies”. According to the businessman, things have changed on this, and, with a few exceptions, no goods are now unloaded unless they have been paid for. Ten years ago, however, the Chinese accepted payment terms of between one and two years.
Patience has run out for China Auto Caiec, to which the state owes some £140 million since 2015, meaning that concessions are no longer available. However, they do not plan to leave for two reasons: they hope to recover the debt one day and, in the meantime, they are negotiating with private companies. “The Cuban market is unique in the world,” said Wu Han.
The article, published on Friday by IPS, highlights the debt owed to two other companies from the Asian giant. Zhaoke, on the island since 2004, and Liaoning Mec Group, since 1998, are owed approximately $40 million and $58 million, respectively. Their situation is, however, worse, as they are private companies that do not receive any state aid for the promotion of bilateral economic cooperation, said Layda García, a sales representative for Zhaoke for more than a decade.
As he puts it, when the brand established itself on the island, everything ran smoothly, with revenues reaching as high as $23 million, but now they barely reach $1 million. “Working in Cuba for so long also creates a strong sense of belonging,” he said, justifying the company president’s decision to remain there.
At the opening of Fihav, President Miguel Díaz-Canel gave a speech in which he acknowledged the situation. He admitted that “There are business people here whom we owe money, where we have not been able to fulfill all our commitments, and yet they are still in Cuba.”
The president said that among them there is “a sense of commitment” and confidence in change. “Many of these businesspeople have been in Cuba for decades, they have invested in Cuba, they have made it part of their lives and also part of their business results in Cuba, and that is the most important thing,” he said.
“There are businesspeople here we owe money to, where we have not been able to fulfil all our commitments, and yet they are still in Cuba.”
Miguel Díaz-Canel visited China in early September as part of his Asian tour, which also took him to Vietnam and Laos. In Beijing, in addition to marching behind a powerful troika formed by Russia’s Vladimir Putin, North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and the host, Xi Jinping, he held meetings with senior leaders – including the president – and business people from the region. He promised them, as he had previously promised the Russians and Vietnamese, that Cuba would be more open for doing business.
During Fihav, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga – who since yesterday is also the new Deputy Prime Minister – announced a package of measures to encourage the inflow of foreign capital. Among the changes is the option of greater freedom in hiring – currently very limited, since it is authorised on an exceptional basis, case by case, and the selection process through state-authorised employment agencies remains the general rule – as well as facilities for operating in foreign currency, foreign bank accounts and access to underutilised structures in the country.
In addition, any investor will be able to wholesale their products and services to “any national economic actor with the capacity to pay, without any restrictions. There are no obstacles, there is nothing to prohibit it,” said Pérez Oliva. A possible reason is, beyond just the rhetoric of sister nations, to retain the Chinese.
*MSME – Literally, “Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises.” The expectation is that it is also privately managed, but in Cuba this may include owners/managers who are connected to the government.
Translated by GH
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A reporter from 14ymedio noted the deployment of State Security and the absence of the international press.
14ymedio, Havana/Madrid, November 26, 2025 — Not only behind closed doors but also without advance public announcement, the second trial of the former minister of economy and planning, Alejandro Gil Fernández, indicted two weeks ago for espionage, took place in total secrecy. The hearing, in which he is being tried for more than a dozen crimes -including embezzlement, tax evasion, influence trafficking and money laundering- began at 9:30 am at the same place, the People’s Civil and Family Court of Marianao, in Havana.
The surroundings of the building were guarded from the beginning, although with a smaller operation than on the first day of the trial, when streets and nearby shops were closed. This time there was no press stationed outside the courthouse, although a man could be seen with a camera hanging from his neck.
According to a source close to the case who requests anonymity, the two children of the former minister, Alejandro and Laura María Gil González, were forced to sign a confidentiality clause at the hearing on Wednesday. At the first trial, only his son was allowed to enter. His daughter had requested a “public and open” trial for her father on social networks and in various publications.
The regime reported the first trial less than 24 hours in advance, through a statement read on state television, but they did not even announce it this time. The official media are busy today with Fidel Castro, as yesterday marks nine years since his death.
A 14ymedio source said that the case for which Gil Fernández is being tried this Wednesday has 20 more defendants, including “a deputy of the National Assembly of People’s Power and a secretary of the Communist Party.” The Public Prosecutor’s Office, according to this source, asked for 30 years for the former minister and “sentences of at least 15 years for the others.” continue reading
No decision from the first trial has been handed down so far. According to the sister of the former minister, María Victoria Gil Fernández, corroborated by this newspaper’s source, Gil’s attorney, Abel Solá López, made a “brilliant” defense.
In an interview granted four days ago to the Cuban journalist resident in Miami Mario J. Pentón, María Victoria (Vicky) Gil said that her brother is accused of having spied for the US, and that every case against the former minister was instigated by Manuel Marrero, Prime Minister and a colonel in the Army. It was a plot orchestrated by the military sector of the regime, whose economic interests were affected by the Ordering Task, the process of monetary and exchange unification that began on January 1, 2021, managed by Gil Fernández.
It was Marrero, said the former presenter of De la Gran Escena, having been informed by a “very reliable” source whom she could not name, who called Alejandro Gil Fernández on February 1, 2024, to tell him that his work as Minister of Economy and Planning had not given “the expected fruits” and that he would be replaced the next day.
When the former official appeared before the prime minister to hand over his portfolio, he found that two State Security agents were there with Marrero, who told him that he was “under investigation.” It was then that he was arrested and taken, along with his wife, Gina María González García, to a safe house. She was exonerated, and he went straight to the maximum security prison of Guanajay in Artemisa.
Until he was removed from office, Gil Fernández was not only Minister of the Economy and Planning, but also Deputy Prime Minister and Miguel Díaz-Canel’s right-hand man. On March 7, 2024, a criminal case against the official was initially announced in a brief note signed by the president himself, alleging, without further details, “serious errors committed in the performance of his duties.”
The next thing that came out of the case, 20 months later, was a statement from the Prosecutor’s Office last Friday, which, without giving numbers or names, spoke of “other defendants” and reported that Gil was accused of “espionage, acts to the detriment of economic activity and contracting, embezzlement, bribery, falsification of public documents, tax evasion, influence trafficking, money laundering, violation of the rules on protection of classified documents, and theft and damage of documents and other objects in official custody.”
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.
The regime warns of a crime that is, in reality, the entry point into the island for almost all money transfers from abroad.
14ymedio, Madrid, 22 November 2025 — A total of 13 people, including four private business owners, were arrested last October and are currently under precautionary measures for what the Cuban regime describes as “remittance theft”. Razones de Cuba reported on this on Thursday, in an article that aims to raise awareness about a crime that is, in reality, the scheme used to bring almost all money transfers from abroad into the island.
“Large cash flows that previously entered the country are now being held abroad, in the hands of a controversial figure: the financier,” whose role, according to the pro-government media outlet, is to “capture money from remittances sent from abroad, mainly from the United States.” Part of the income he obtains, the article continues, is used “to purchase imports that require non-state forms of management to carry out their commercial operations in Cuba.”
In turn, private businesses deliver the equivalent amount within the country, “based on the cash acquired from their collections,” and the “financier” charges a percentage of the profits.
This mode of operation, says Razones de Cuba, is “results from the intensification of the blockade against Cuba.” The text refers, without explaining it as such, to the suspension of Western Union (WU) money transfers earlier this year, following the addition of Orbit S.A. to the US List of Restricted Entities in Cuba. The company was created to take over the continue reading
After the educational introduction, they present, as an example, the “criminal network” that led to the arrest of the 13 individuals.
The measure was related to the Donald Trump administration’s goal of eliminating the military’s role in sending money to Cuban families. Even before that, but intensified since then, the island’s citizens had already devised another way to receive remittances informally, so that, according to various studies, they took 95% of those financial transactions away from Gaesa.
Although it is a widespread modus operandi on the island, which Cubans prefer to other official channels, Razones de Cuba protests that it is “a lucrative business, where the Cuban people lose out the most”.
After the educational introduction, they present as an example the “criminal network” uncovered by the Ministry of the Interior, which led to the arrest of 13 individuals. The ringleader, identified by full name, is Humberto Julio Mora Caballero, a Cuban from Camagüey residing in Miami, from where he “directed” operations.
Humberto has set up a criminal network that has allowed him to establish a system for collecting remittances sent by relatives of Cubans living in the United States,” said Yisnel Rivero Crespo, head of the Economic Crimes Department at the Ministry of the Interior. Once the money has been received in the United States, he emphasises, Mora Caballero “mobilises his employees in Cuba to collect the proceeds from private businesses in various provinces of the country”.
According to this military official, it is a “broad, strong and diverse network with a high level of material resources” that “has moved more than 1 billion pesos and a quarter of a million dollars between February and September 2025 alone”.
However, they clarify that this is not the first time they have taken action against this “network”: “Last July, assets and cash associated with criminal activity were seized, but the leader’s continued presence in the United States allowed him to set up another scheme, very similar in its operation, against which action has been taken now in October.”
Similarly, they claim that they notified the US authorities “on more than one occasion” of the existence of this network, “without any concrete action being taken to neutralise it”. The “theft of remittances”, they warn, “is also illegal under US law. The continuous violations force the financier to use front men to mask tax evasion through third-party bank accounts.
The text also takes a jab at El Toque, which the regime blames for the devaluation of the peso, describing its actions – that is, providing daily data on the dollar exchange rate on the informal market – as “economic terrorism” in the service of the United States. Lamenting the scams that can occur due to the “involvement of criminal networks in the import process” because of the “lack of official backing for transactions”, they add: “Add to this the instability of the exchange market, where a pseudo-scientific exchange rate, manipulated from abroad, prevails.”
To resolve this “direct attack” on “sovereignty,” Razones de Cuba asserts that the government has a foolproof solution: “Macroeconomic stabilisation measures are underway, with an official exchange rate that reflects the reality in Cuba.”
Translated by GH
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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.
It is being built by the French company Bouygues and will have 520 luxury rooms.
14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, November 29, 2025 — After more than three years of construction, the tower rising at 1st and B in Havana’s Vedado neighbourhood continues to grow like a foreign body in the middle of a neighbourhood that is falling apart. The 25-storey building is visible from several blocks away and already dominates the coastal strip near the Malecón. The structure appears to be practically finished on the outside, but its interior is still under construction.
A technician at the site assured 14ymedio that “the foreign part is French,” and that Indians are also working on the project, although, according to him, “more as labourers.” “They are leaving in December because their work is done,” added the expert. The project’s architectural dossier confirms that the French construction company Bouygues – the same company that has built most of the luxury hotels in Cuba – is listed as the main developer of the building. This explains the presence of French and Indian workers on the site, as well as the high standard of the finishes.
The French company Bouygues Bâtiment International, a discreet player in Cuba’s hotel boom, has a history of controversy. The most recent episode was documented by this newspaper after Hurricane Melissa struck. While more than 76,000 homes remain damaged and thousands of families are still without assistance, the Antilla Modular Plant, operated by Bouygues, continues to operate at full capacity to manufacture complete room modules for luxury hotels. This was compounded by official censorship, when even state media were warned to “forget” about the plant after attempting to investigate its activities. continue reading
Unlike other hotels openly promoted by the Gaesa military conglomerate, this tower has no advertisements, billboards or any public indication identifying its investor, builder or future operator. The architectural project, disclosed a few years ago by the studio that designed it, describes a four-star hotel with some 520 rooms, common areas distributed over a three-level base, and high-standard services, including a swimming pool and panoramic terrace.
The technician interviewed by 14ymedio estimates that the work still has “a year or so” to go. Workers are now in the process of tiling bathrooms and floors, although “all the technology, electricity and lifts are still to be installed”. If there was one thing he repeated several times, it was that the building will have “state-of-the-art technology, like the Torre K“, one of the flagship projects of state investment. In terms of “modernity”, he assures us, “there is the Torre K and then this one”.
When asked what the hotel would be called, the answer was as predictable as it was disturbing: “The name is not yet known; it will be revealed when it is finished.” It is striking that, despite its size and visual impact on the area, no official media outlet has published any updates, deadlines or details about the property.
Aware of the contrast, a neighbour passing by the building commented with a laugh: “This is incredible, man.” The man, who gave no further details, was referring to the paradox of seeing a luxury hotel spring up while the rest of Havana is falling apart. The tower at 1st and B is being built with cranes, foreign labour and no shortage of materials, but the houses surrounding it have crumbling facades and shored-up balconies. A few metres from the building, the structures have noticeable leaks and cracks. In a nearby garden, two men slept on the dry grass. The stark, everyday scene reflects the gulf between the official reference to the “blockade*,” supposedly responsible for the destruction of the national economy, and the unstoppable rush to build luxury tourist projects, precisely when the hotel occupancy rate is barely 20%.
The skyscraper at 1st and B rises up in front of a neighbourhood that is unable to maintain its basic infrastructure. A construction project that brings in Indian and French workers, while many Cubans are looking around for ways to survive. Modernity is coming, but not for everyone.
Translated by GH
Note: There is, in fact, no US ‘blockade’ on Cuba, but this continues to be the term the Cuban government prefers to apply to the ongoing US embargo. During the Cuban Missile Crisis the US ordered a Naval blockade (which it called a ‘quarantine’) on Cuba in 1962, between 22 October and 20 November of that year. The blockade was lifted when Russia agreed to remove its nuclear missiles from the Island. The embargo had been imposed earlier in February of the same year, and although modified from time to time, it is still in force.
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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.
Simplification of procedures, free hiring of personnel and importation of its own fuel, all this within “the guidelines of the economic and social policy of the Party of the Revolution”
14ymedio, Havana, November 25, 2025 — In response to the urgency of the country, the Cuban government says that it is now ready to open doors and loosen ties without changing the current model. The VIII Investment Forum of the Havana International Fair (Fihav 2025) returned this Tuesday to promise dynamism, new regulations and a package of measures that, according to the deputy prime minister and head of foreign trade and investment, Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, seeks to “correct distortions” and revive an economy in free fall.
“Cuba currently has 376 businesses with foreign capital from 40 countries, 56 of which are in the Mariel Special Development Zone,” said the official. He added that in 2025, 32 new businesses from 13 countries have been approved, with a committed capital of $1.1 billion.
In a speech reminiscent of similar announcements in the last ten years, Fidel and Raúl Castro’s great-nephew presented what he described as an “integral” set of incentives to attract foreign capital. The package, which is still waiting for its legal formalization, “will be published soon,” he promised. It includes a simplification of procedures, greater freedom in labor contracts, facility to trade in foreign currencies and access to underutilized structures of the country. All this with the aim of offering a business environment that is “more attractive and competitive.”
The most striking announcement, undoubtedly, was the commitment to reduce project approval times. According to Pérez-Oliva, State agencies will have only seven days, instead of the current 15, to respond to investment proposals. If they do not, an automatic “yes” will be assumed, something unprecedented in a country where bureaucracy has ruled for decades. continue reading
For the first time, the employer will be able to participate in the selection of his workforce
The scheme recalls other deadlines announced in various sectors and never met. The question remains the same: what will prevent agencies, historically reluctant to relinquish control, from using other ways of blocking what they do not wish to approve?
Another point raised by the Deputy Prime Minister concerns recruitment. For the first time, the employer will be able to participate in the selection of his workforce, partly breaking with the model in which State agencies acted as compulsory intermediaries. Even so, the reform does not eliminate these agencies, and it remains to be seen how it will be applied in hotels, the first sector that should benefit from this measure.
The Government will also authorize the payment of foreign exchange bonuses, an incentive that implicitly recognizes the inadequacy of wages in pesos, unable to sustain daily life. These bonuses, which do not replace the official salary, have existed for decades, always under the shadow of informality. Recognizing their existence is a step, although these payments will have quite strict limitations: they can only be made from profits, through bank payments and provided that the company generates external revenues.
The innovations also include the authorization for foreign-owned companies to trade “without restrictions” with domestic economic actors. They will also be allowed to import fuel directly if they deem it necessary. Thus the government opens a hard currency highway for those who can generate income for the State, escaping from the annoying blackouts, which will continue to affect the rest of the population.
To this is added the announcement of new special development zones
In fact, nothing in the package suggests that the benefits granted to foreign capital will extend to Cuban entrepreneurs, who continue to deal with obstacles, inspections, regulatory uncertainty and a very unfavorable exchange rate.
The minister also spoke of the possibility of investors having access to underutilized facilities. The country has hundreds of abandoned factories, semi-derelict industrial buildings, disused warehouses and hotels without guests, all State-owned. To this is added the announcement of the creation of new special development zones, whose location and timing were specified. Some experts point to the Antilla project in Holguín, designed to rehabilitate the aqueduct distribution system.
The experience of the Mariel Special Development Zone, after more than a decade of operations, serves as a reminder of an attractive structure on paper that does not guarantee results when the macroeconomic environment is unstable, access to foreign exchange is uncertain and the State reserves control of all the processes.
The Deputy Prime Minister clarified that “none of these proposals has any contradiction with the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, the guidelines of the economic and social policy of the Party of the Revolution or the conceptualization of the Cuban economic model.” All the decisions explained, he said, are perfectly possible and can be implemented without difficulty under existing regulations.
The government admits that the materialization of foreign investment remains low, perhaps because the real deterrents are still intact. These include the lack of legal certainty, to which has recently been added the freezing of all foreign currency funds in the bank accounts of foreign companies.
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.
Cuban Chancellor Bruno Rodriguez denounces “electromagnetic interference” in the Caribbean attributed to US military deployment
14ymedio, Havana, November 29, 2025 — US President Donald Trump declared this Saturday on his Truth Social network that the airspace “over and around” Venezuela is “closed in its entirety.” The message, addressed to “airlines, pilots, drug traffickers and people smugglers,” was presented as a security warning, but its tone and breadth immediately caused a political earthquake in the region.
The publication comes at a time of high tension between Washington and Caracas. In recent weeks, the US government has reinforced its warnings about the situation in Venezuela and warned airlines of increasing risks associated with political instability, troop movements and the presence of irregular armed groups.
Several international airlines, already operating severely restricted routes, have pre-emptively suspended their flights while awaiting clarification. Venezuela, whose international air traffic has been declining since 2017 due to sanctions, airline bankruptcies and security concerns, has become even more isolated in recent days.
Cuban chancellor Bruno Rodriguez reacted immediately on Saturday by denouncing an “electromagnetic interference” in the Caribbean attributed to the US military deployment, which, he said, “particularly” affects the airspace of Venezuela. In a message on social media, he said that this activity “is part of the escalation of military aggression and psychological war against Venezuelan territory, aimed at overthrowing by force the continue reading
This climate of alert adds to the bombing carried out by US forces against several boats in the Caribbean Sea
Trump’s announcement comes shortly after The New York Times revealed that Trump and Nicolas Maduro had held a telephone conversation to explore the possibility of a meeting, a call that neither the White House nor Miraflores has confirmed or denied. According to that report, the communication also involved Secretary of State Marco Rubio — an ironclad critic of Chavismo — although the conversation did not lead to any concrete agreement.
The leak coincided with Trump’s warning the day before that his Armed Forces will act “very soon” on Venezuelan territory against alleged “drug traffickers from Venezuela,” while US naval deployment continues in the Caribbean. On November 21, the Federal Aviation Administration asked airlines to “take extreme precautions” when flying over Venezuela and the southern Caribbean due to a “potentially dangerous situation” in the region.
This climate of alert adds to the bombing carried out by US forces against several boats in the Caribbean Sea that have resulted in deaths. Washington justifies these attacks as anti-drug operations, although it has not presented conclusive evidence and is directly targeting Venezuelan authorities, including Maduro himself.
Venezuelan communities have mobilized following the call of Chavismo to prepare for a possible armed confrontation with the United States. Since September, the Government has been promoting the creation of Community Militia Units in more than 5,300 areas of the country and says that over eight million people have registered with the militia. In neighborhoods of Caracas, neighbors describe meetings, training and plans to protect against a possible attack, while Chavista leaders, such as Diosdado Cabello, warn that “anyone who dares to set foot in Venezuela” will face “the fury of a people that has never surrendered.”
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.
Avianca, TAP and Gol follow Iberia’s lead and cancel their flights to Caracas
EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, November 23, 2025 / Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío warned this Saturday about the “danger” of a possible US military aggression to “violently overthrow” the government headed by Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
“The danger of military and terrorist aggression against Venezuela is growing, with the aim of violently overthrowing the government of that sister nation. A United States coup against Our America and its long road to independence,” the Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs said on social media.
For the past two months, the United States has maintained a large-scale military deployment in Caribbean waters near Venezuela under the pretext of fighting drug trafficking.
The US campaign began in September and, to date, has consisted of bombing civilian boats allegedly linked to illicit drug trafficking. These attacks have spread to Pacific waters and have so far left more than eighty people dead. continue reading
Cuba, a historic ally of Chavismo, has warned since the beginning of the tensions that what it considers Washington’s “pretexts” for a possible attack on Venezuela “cannot be accepted legally or morally”.
Several airlines in Europe and America cancelled their flights to Venezuela on Saturday after the US Federal Aviation Administration issued an international advisory the day before urging “extreme caution” when flying over the South American country and the southern Caribbean Sea.
The Spanish airline Iberia was the first to make the decision to cancel its flights to Venezuela — the first of which was scheduled for next Monday – and to announce that it will assess the situation to decide when to resume operations. Sources at the company told EFE that Iberia made this decision in line with what other airlines are doing in response to the situation in Venezuela.
Iberia operates five commercial flights to Venezuela each week. Friday and Sunday are the only days on which there were no scheduled flights to that country, according to the sources consulted.
For its part, the Portuguese airline TAP cancelled a flight scheduled for today and another for next Tuesday bound for Venezuela. A TAP source told EFE that they had taken this measure to ensure the safety of passengers and crew, “in accordance with international recommendations”.
TAP confirms that flights TP170, scheduled for 22 and 25 November to Venezuela, have been cancelled. This decision is based on information issued by the United States aviation authorities, which indicates that safety conditions in Venezuelan airspace are not guaranteed, especially in the Maiquetía flight information region,” he explained.
The source from the airline, which is state-controlled and in the process of reprivatisation, assured that all passengers were informed of the cancellation of these flights and will be able to request a refund, while expressing regret for “the inconvenience caused”.
“We have not cancelled flights for the next two days; we are assessing the situation depending on security conditions.”
Similarly, Colombian airline Avianca cancelled its flights on Sunday, while Wingo said it was continuing to operate normally in the neighbouring country. “We have cancelled today’s flights due to operational adjustments and are assessing the situation like all airlines,” a source at Avianca, which has two daily flights from Bogotá to Caracas, told EFE.
Wingo, another Colombian airline that also flies to Venezuela, has not cancelled its flights at this time and is monitoring the situation closely. “We have not cancelled flights for the next two days; we are evaluating the situation depending on security conditions, etc.,” a company spokesperson told EFE.
In addition, Brazil’s Gol announced that it has cancelled its flights to Caracas scheduled for this weekend.
Gol had scheduled a flight this Saturday from Guarulhos International Airport, in the São Paulo metropolitan area, to the Venezuelan capital, and another on Sunday, but both were cancelled, according to sources at the company who spoke to EFE.
The airline informed passengers with tickets for those flights that they can “reschedule their trips, request a credit or ask for a refund directly”.
Cuba, a historic ally of Chavismo, has warned since the beginning of the tensions that what it considers Washington’s “pretexts” for a possible attack on Venezuela “cannot be accepted legally or morally”.
This Saturday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil shared a letter sent by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel to Maduro on the eve of his birthday, in which he stated that Caracas “will emerge victorious” against what he described as “new imperial threats”.
Translated by GH
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The Ómnibus Caisa Production Company does not believe it can deliver more than 20 vehicles before 2026
14ymedio, Havana, November 22, 2025 –The work of the Ómnibus Caisa Production Company, located in Guanajay, is strongly affected by the constant power cuts in Cuba. This situation means, according to a note published by El Artemiseño this Friday, that the only bus assembler in Cuba cannot advance in the repair work of the buses in Havana, despite having recently received a large donation of parts from the Chinese government.
This Saturday, for example, the Electric Union of Cuba reported the shutdown of unit 1 of the CTE Felton because of “high temperature in the bearings,” which will consequently contribute to prolonged blackouts throughout the day. Yesterday, according to the UNE, there was a maximum allocation of 1,707 megawatts (MW), slightly higher than that planned for today (1,685 MW at peak hours), with an availability of 1,665 MW and a maximum demand of 3,280 MW.
Meanwhile in Caisa, 100 buses are stranded in the company’s parking lot, waiting to be repaired for several months.
A hundred buses are stranded in the company’s parking lot
The company’s workers assure El Artemiseño that they do not believe that more than 20 can be ready before 2026. The employees also point out that, although 27 people are active in a workforce of 47, if they could complete their eight-hour working day, they would be able to be much continue reading
This would also partially alleviate the serious crisis of public transport in Havana, already marked by the shortage of fuel and aggravated by the poor state of maintenance of the buses.
The situation is further complicated by the lack of operational vehicles. Recent statistics from the Ministry of Transport and the Provincial Company indicate that of the 435 buses which should be circulating in the capital, only 130 are able to operate. This represents only 35% of the fleet, with serious consequences for urban mobility. Of the 17 main and 112 secondary routes, less than half are in regular operation, affecting especially the working community, students and people who have to travel for health reasons.
The lack of buses is compounded by damage caused by misuse and vandalism: broken windows, chipped glass, damaged door systems and stolen parts, even in the new Foton minibuses from China, of which only 34 out of 50 were recently serviced. In the face of this shortcoming, many citizens are forced to resort to taxi drivers, but the prices of these private taxis have become significantly more expensive in recent years.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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The ‘almendrones’ that used to travel the 30 kilometres to the capital have almost disappeared since prices rose from 20 to 500 pesos.
14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, San José de las Lajas, Cuba, 27 November 2025 — Virginia is surprised by the silence. It is not complete silence—in Cuba it never is—but it is a strange silence, unfamiliar, uncharacteristic of the San José de las Lajas station. In front of the old train terminal, the building that seems to resist falling down while it is losing bits and pieces, there are hardly five or six people waiting. No one shouts “Havana, Havana!” or fights over seats as they did in the past. Even the parking attendants seem to have been struck dumb.
The woman asks who is last in line for the capital, with that tone that is half resignation, half urgency that you put on when you have a sick mother on the other side of the road. The wind carries the smell of stale fried food from the fast food kiosks, which are half empty today. On the street, oil stains form dark circles around the almendrones*, as if marking the territory of an endangered species. A silver one — perhaps a 1950s Dodge with customised wheels — gleams sadly under the cloudy sky.
“Before COVID, when the fare was 20 pesos, there was one car after another,” recalls Virginia. It is a simple, direct nostalgia that does not idealise the past but compares and concludes: this is worse, much worse. “First they put it up to 100, then to 200… and so on until it reached 500 pesos today.” She does not know all the reasons behind the increase, but she knows what hurts. “It is the people who pay for it,” she repeats.
Some 30 kilometres separate San José from Havana, but today they seem like a world apart. Inflation not only empties pockets: it also empties spaces. The taxi rank shows it. Passengers are scattered, in no hurry, knowing that rushing is pointless when there are hardly any continue reading
“Many of the drivers are not owners,” says a man of medium height, arms crossed and weather-beaten face, who claims to be first in line. “My cousin has to pay the owner 15,000 a day. The boss doesn’t care how many trips have been made… he just wants his money.” The phrase hangs in the air like a dry echo, a reminder that even a struggle has to be rented.
A few metres away, a blue truck adapted for public transport roars into life. Inside, people travel crammed together, their bodies trained to balance without falling. For many, this is the only option. Manuel, a self-employed worker, sums it up bluntly: “Here you spend an hour or two waiting for a vehicle, if it shows up. And when it does, there aren’t enough people to fill it and finally get it going.” He knows that for those who travel several times a week, paying 500 pesos is almost an insult.
A young man wearing a star-patterned cap checks his watch, while another man puts his backpack in the back seat of an old private taxi, waiting for more passengers willing to pay the high price for a trip to the Cuban capital. According to Manuel, after midday things get worse: taxis to Güines, if they show up at all, go up to 600 or even 700 pesos. And if you want to hire a whole car, the figure can reach 10,000. “Who can understand that?” he asks aloud, but no one answers because everyone understands, and that’s the problem.
Desperation begins to set in when a Chevrolet pulls into the forecourt. It is light blue, old but elegant. “Come on! Go and find 500 pesos!” shouts a parking attendant coming out of a kiosk, as if the mere presence of the car justifies rushing to pick up their bags. “Come on, taxi to Havana,” he adds, knowing that before the car is full, he will have already collected his commission.
Virginia sighs. The initial silence is gone: now it is filled with murmurs, impatience, the sound of the lorry driving away, the car park attendant repeating his line, the rattling of the old car as it revs its engine, the faint hope that the journey will start before midday.
In San José de las Lajas, the bus stop has always been a crossroads: of routes and of lives, but today it is also a hub where rising prices and the urgency to travel collide.
*Translator’s note: Many classic American cars continue to provide taxi service in Cuba, and are known as “almendrones”, a reference to their ‘almond shape.”
Translated by GH
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ECLAC and Cuba Siglo XXI also describe a shocking panorama and the regime’s rejection of any change
14ymedio, Madrid, November 23, 2025 — As if they refused to take the antidote that would prevent death when bitten by a poisonous insect, the Cuban government continues its forward flight blindly with a reissued “program to correct distortions and boost the economy.” The plan, presented on Thursday in the official press and on the Round Table TV program, came out the same week that the accounts of all foreign companies were frozen and three devastating documents were published about the situation of the island: an article in the prestigious weekly The Economist, a new report of Cuba Siglo XXI and the latest data from the Economic Commission for America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
These three go in the same direction, summarized by The Economist from its headline: Cuba is heading for disaster, unless its regime changes drastically. For the British environment, which usually does not devote much space to the island, given the poor economic, energy, health and demographic conditions of the country, it is fully summarized in its long text: “A convulsion is coming.”
“It is difficult to understand how ordinary Cubans survive today,” the weekly begins, because “basic necessities cost much more than the official average monthly salary of 6,506 pesos (equivalent to 14.46 dollars at the informal exchange rate, which is what is used).”
The Economist’s portrayal of everyday sufferings is recognizable to any citizen of the island: “Under a suffocating heat, electricity is cut off in most places for at least four hours a day, and in some areas almost all the time. Fans and air conditioners are usually turned off. Water is also missing in many places, so drinking, cooking and washing, not to mention showering or even using the toilet, are often impossible.”
“Under a suffocating heat, electricity is cut off in most places for at least four hours a day, and in some areas almost all the time”
The data provided by the specialized media are known, such as that 89% of families live in extreme poverty, that public transport has “practically” disappeared, that “millions of Cubans” depend on remittances or that a quarter of the population has left the island. But put in black and white, they are impressive for an international audience. continue reading
Particularly eloquent are two graphs on migration included in the article by the independent demographer Juan Carlos Albizu-Campos: next to the figures of Cubans who left their country are those of Cubans who entered the United States, which are, year by year, inversely proportional, like an inverted mirror.
The main focus of the text is economic data, including the collapse in tourism, high inflation, devaluation of the peso and the fact that output is at its lowest in more than a century, resulting in an 11% contraction since 2019, a number recognized by the Government itself.
The latest ECLAC report, made public last Wednesday by the Cuban economist resident in Spain, Pedro Monreal, points out that the island appears as “one of the three countries with no growth in the value of projected exports of goods (worse than Haiti but better than Venezuela). For this expert, “the reduction in the estimated value of exports of goods from Cuba in 2025 would be explained by the poor sugar yield and the fall in the price of nickel.”
“Because of Cuba’s high import dependence, the contraction in imports must have a negative impact on economic growth”
Monreal also highlights the results of the first half of 2025, which indicate a simultaneous reduction in exports and imports, the negative balance of trade in goods (exports-imports) and the fact that the government does not report its data on trade in services. And he states: “Due to the high import dependence of Cuba, the contraction in imports must have had a negative impact on economic growth.”
“The only ray of hope is the rise of private enterprise,” states The Economist, which then warns of the constraints faced by small entrepreneurs. “The Government seems unable to decide whether to simply tolerate private activity or encourage it,” notes the article. The owners of private firms, it continues, “are constantly frustrated by the government’s lack of clarity in interpreting the law and its persistent mistrust of free enterprise.”
They quote an interviewed businesswoman, Marta Deus, who runs a tax consultant and distribution company, Mandao, (with 200,000 users): “Everything is done in circles. There is no clarity. Nobody knows the rules. We expect a change. But it seems that the government lives in another world.”
The fundamental reason for the regime’s reluctance is the fear that the system will collapse if the private sector expands. “They see private enterprise as a nest of worms that will infiltrate, destabilize the country and end up driving out the Party,” says another interviewee. And a third: “When you see the first McDonald’s in the Plaza Vieja, you will know that the Revolution is finished.”
The text of The Economist, which regrets that “no Mikhail Gorbachev” is still visible within the regime, as there was in the Soviet Union, and that the opposition is “weak and fragmented,” concludes with the words of a taxi driver: “This system is so bad that it is irreparable. The only thing you can do is get rid of it and start from scratch.”
The military conglomerate is “the real power in Cuba and has led the country to the worst financial crisis of its history”
It is the same conclusion reached, in other words and by other means, by Emilio Morales in his most recent report for the organization Cuba Siglo 21, published last Wednesday. “The only way to abort this financial crisis that has practically paralyzed the country and plunged the population into extreme poverty is to eliminate the system of governance that created it,” he writes.
For Morales, the fault lies with the Grupo de Administración Empresarial (Gaesa). The military conglomerate is “the real power in Cuba and has led the country to the worst financial crisis of its history.”
The expert recalls various data such as the shortage of dollars, the general fall in national production and the increase in external debt, explaining them around an idea: “The government headed by Miguel Díaz-Canel does not in practice have control over the country’s finances. The Central Bank of Cuba, which is the institution that should govern the management of the nation’s finances, is completely subordinate and subject to the interests of Gaesa.”
A proof of this -which Morales does not mention- is the trial carried out against the former Minister of Economy and right hand of Díaz-Canel, Alejandro Gil Fernández, accused of spying for the CIA and other serious crimes of corruption.
In any case, and given the new measures it is publicizing these days, the regime will continue on the wrong track. Although the official claims that “the Government Program is made up of 10 general objectives, 106 specific objectives, 342 actions and 264 indicators and targets, all closely interrelated,” it does not really offer anything new.
First, they attribute the economic disaster to “the effects of permanent aggressions resulting from the economic blockade and internal inadequacies.” The tone of words expressed by officials continues with controls on private businesses: The “distortion in relations between economic actors today impedes the fundamental role of the State enterprise,” declared Jorge Luis Broche Lorenzo, head of the Economic and Productive Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (PCC). Another example is the campaign against El Toque, accused of being in the service of the US to devalue the national currency.
As for the energy crisis, far from proposing an innovative approach, they return to the “classics” of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), with the words of Broche Lorenzo: “Let us remember that Lenin was clear on this: communism in those conditions is translated as the power of the soviets plus the electrification of the country. If our electrical system is not reactivated to the level required by economic management, it will take work to move forward in the process of socialist construction.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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Infections have risen by 23.2% in a week and the number of patients in intensive care, including many minors, has grown from 96 to 156.
14ymedio, Madrid, 25 November 2025 — Data on the arbovirus epidemic that Cuba has been experiencing in recent months is alarming health authorities, who on Monday warned of a 23.2% increase in chikungunya infections compared to the previous week. Carilda Peña García, Deputy Minister of Public Health, said that at the end of last week, 7,700 new cases of this disease had been recorded and, although she did not provide specific figures for dengue, she also confirmed an increase in the incidence rate.
In total, the country has recorded 39,760 people with “non-specific fever syndrome”, 15.8% less than the previous week. The official was optimistic about the future, stating that “historically, November is the most complex month for arboviruses, with dengue fever being hyperendemic.” This data led her to believe that there would be an improvement in the first or second week of December, also in the case of chikungunya, which is transmitted by the same mosquito.
At the moment, with 156 patients in intensive care – 96 more than the previous week – there is little cause for celebration. The Deputy Minister acknowledged that the situation “is considered dangerous” because there are many serious and critical cases. Of the latter, 34 (out of a total of 35) are under the age of 18. As for the seriously ill, the figure rises to 121, 96 of whom are minors.
There are 35 critical cases, 34 of whom are under 18. As for serious cases, the number rises to 121, 96 of whom are minors.
Peña García explained that he is aware that there is underreporting because many people do not go to medical centres. However, he added that all suspected cases are counted, even if they have not been diagnosed in laboratories, which is common in epidemic situations. On Monday, of the 7,700 cases, 137 were confirmed by PCR, a test reserved for identifying and characterising serious cases or the onset of outbreaks.
As for dengue fever, transmission is widespread, with cases still present in 14 provinces – Sancti Spíritus, Villa Clara, Havana, Guantánamo, Ciego de Ávila and Santiago de Cuba leading the way – and the incidence rate has risen to 22.6%. The figures have not yet been updated in the World Health Organisation (WHO) documentation, so people do not know how many infections there are. At the end of last week, three deaths and 9,602 infections had been reported, which is a high rate of 87.79 per 100,000.
Although Peña García insisted on the importance of seeing a doctor, especially for vulnerable population groups, many cases are not counted officially. “All of us who don’t go to the doctor and heal ourselves at home are not included in this figure. Conduct a block-by-block survey to see how many of us there are,” said a Cubadebate reader in response to the news. Another user asked the authorities to be more specific about the cases of deaths circulating on social media.
“Could you clarify whether there have been any deaths from this cause and, if so, how many? There are all sorts of rumours circulating about hospitals and funeral homes being full, the virus spreading for several weeks, and not a single death? Something doesn’t make sense, and I do not believe that any deaths are a crime or the fault of the Ministry of Health, as is the case anywhere else on the planet in similar situations. Thank you. We await your response,” he asked. The only deaths known to date directly associated with dengue fever are three, announced in October. Since then, rumours have been spreading like wildfire.
The authorities claim that the procedure has not been widespread because there are “limitations on fuel and insecticides, but priority was given to areas with the most active transmission.”
The deputy minister explained that the Aedes aegypti infestation is considered high, with 8,545 outbreaks. The municipalities with the worst indicators are Camagüey, Pinar del Río, Sancti Spíritus and Havana. In the latter, as in Santiago de Cuba and Granma, fumigation targets are being met, another fact that is highly questioned on social media, where hundreds of voices claim that no action is being taken. The authorities admit that the procedure has not been followed everywhere because there are “limitations on fuel and insecticides, but priority was given to areas with the most active transmission in order to reduce the vector population and break the chain of transmission”.
The situation has prompted the Dominican Republic to take action. On Monday, it announced the intensification of epidemiological surveillance and vector control measures throughout the country, “as part of the ongoing prevention and response strategy to the chikungunya outbreak reported in Cuba and other Caribbean countries”.
The country’s Ministry of Health said there will be intensive fumigation campaigns, scrap metal removal and community education, as well as active screening for fever and surveillance at airports, ports and border crossings. The minister asked citizens for their cooperation, especially in keeping yards clean and removing water tanks that encourage mosquito breeding.
Translated by GH
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Reports multiply about “corruption in the Electric Company” to connect the powerful and leave others in the dark
14ymedio, Havana, November 24, 2025 — Hurricane Melissa left Mayarí hours after striking the east of Cuba, but the effects are still felt in the municipality of Holguín, where there have been three consecutive protests in small rural towns tired of living in the dark for almost a month. The last occurred this Sunday in Guairajal, where more than 20 people took to the streets with signs written on cardboard, demanding electricity after more than 25 days without service.
“Every day we talk to the delegate and the president of the People’s Council and nobody listens to us,” said one of the residents. Another explained that the community suffers a serious abandonment, and it has been decimated. “There were 200 or so houses here and there are 40 left,” she explained.
Women with babies in their arms and children holding balloons shouted “We want electricity,” a protest that could have been avoided, another neighbor said on social media. “We are tired of calling and complaining and not being heard. It shows a lack of respect for this small, poor and obedient town.
“In addition to not having electricity we have infinite problems; for example, not having water and being almost isolated, with the river running on the road and the bridge broken that connects us with Arroyo Enmedio. And nobody cares about that either. We feel totally abandoned by the authorities of the municipality,” she lamented only one day before the protest. continue reading
“There were 200 or so houses here and there are 40 left,” she explained
Although the government has praised the effort of the Electric Union linemen who came from different provinces in eastern Cuba to collaborate in repairs, the work has not been as exemplary as it appears, some complain.
“It’s been more than 20 days without electricity, and yesterday the linemen were up in Guayabo, where our transformer is located. They put on the power in one part and cut the cables that go to our neighborhood, on 21st street at the bottom, leaving out 11 houses. They did not want to continue because it was raining, there was mud, and they had to cross a bridge. So I ask you: Where are those hard-working linemen who are mentioned so much, leaving children, the elderly, the sick and working mothers without electricity? The residents themselves had to fix the fallen lines and keep the poles from falling down. The linemen only had to bring a ladder and connect the lines that go to the houses, but they didn’t do their work. It could have been done in less than half an hour, but it was easier to cut the lines and leave us without power. They reported that all the lines were on the ground and left,” said a resident of Mayarí, who continued with a warning: “We call the command post and they hang up the phone. So, what do we women and children have to do? We’ll throw ourselves into the street if they don’t connect us, like they did in Seboruco.”
The reference was to the protest that took place last Thursday in this community, where the neighbors went to the streets after 23 days without electricity or running water, an alarming situation amid the epidemic of arbovirosis affecting the island. “We called all sides; the mothers went to the Party (Communist Party of Cuba, the PCC), and there was no response from anywhere. We carried water from the rivers and were told every day that they would come, but it was a lie. Mothers with children went to the government, and we didn’t get a clear answer, so we could no longer stand it and threw ourselves into the street,” a resident, who asked for anonymity for fear of reprisals, told Martí Noticias.
There, before the dozens of people who demanded solutions, a PCC representative arrived and asked for understanding because the problem affected the entire locality. “Well this is all of Mayarí, not just Seboruco. If you want I will explain it to you; otherwise, I’ll shut up and keep walking,” he said. Empathy ended when he realized that he was being recorded: “You can’t record me because it’s against the law,” he said. Several hours later, according to various reports, electric service was restored to the community.
“We call the command post and they hang up the phone. So what do we women and children have to do? We will throw ourselves into the street if they do not give us electricity, like they did in Seboruco”
Pontezuela, another rural area of Mayarí, came out banging pots and pans on Friday night, in a type of protest more usual than the other two, which occurred in broad daylight with faces uncovered. There, the mayor and a political police officer stated that they did not yet know the extent of the damage or when services would be restored, and they asked for more patience from the population.
The last clear count of those without electricity in Holguín was on November 14, when there were still more than 52,000 residents without power. “We know that there are still areas waiting for attention. We have not forgotten anyone. We continue to try to reach every affected site, repair every malfunction and return every home to normal. Already this Tuesday 336,521 people in Holguín have been serviced, and we’re not stopping. Thank you for your patience, solidarity and trust,” added the provincial electricity company on day 19 in a Facebook post, where it showed the unsuccessful repair of the poles of Guairajal.
In the midst of this situation, the La Tijera Facebook page has reported rumors supported by countless commentators. In a post this Sunday, it described a dispute between local Electric Union administrators and residents of Manzanillo, in the province of Granma, who charged the workers with influence peddling and bribes.
“Neighbors complained that the power cuts were not due to the population but to an uncontrolled increase in private businesses, including illegal bakeries, welding workshops and refrigeration centers for sausages and meat, that were operating thanks to bribes paid to Electric Union officials, managers and linesmen,” said the post. It added that the inspection does not work and pointed to some specific businesses that paid to connect to circuits prioritized for leisure, among other irregularities.
A former worker of the electric company of Matanzas has confirmed to Martí Noticias that it is not only true, but the same thing happens throughout the island. “I saw the corruption in the Electric Company. It goes so high that you can offer any lineman money and get the service you need without having to go through the State channel,” said specialist Yanan Camaraza Medina.
“There are two transformers that feed the nearby neighborhood of the Cooperative, which has service 24 hours a day, because there are interests of millionaires based in the United States”
Living in Unión de Reyes, he said that the village of Juan Gualberto Gómez has been without service for weeks, but there are “two transformers that feed the nearby neighborhood of the Cooperative, which has service 24 hours a day, because there are interests of millionaires based in the United States who have their businesses, their investments here in Cuba, and, of course, they pay bribes.”
Camaraza Medina states that it has also been reported that the Provincial Freight Office accepts bribes in exchange for improving the conditions of the circuit and that there are more provinces where cases of this type have occurred, including Cienfuegos. In the municipality of Aguada there are four circuits that are exempt from the long blackouts, among them those that host facilities of the Party and the Government.
“If you pay they connect you to the protected area. That has happened in several houses here that have been reconnected in the neighborhood of the cooperative because they paid and are close by, and the linemen come and do the work stealthily and connect them,” the specialist told Martí Noticias. He describes several more cases of a situation that is not new, but that has become more desperate in these times of deep energy crisis.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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The Ómnibus Caisa Production Company does not believe it can deliver more than 20 vehicles before 2026
14ymedio, Havana, November 22, 2025 –The work of the Ómnibus Caisa Production Company, located in Guanajay, is strongly affected by the constant power cuts in Cuba. This situation means, according to a note published by El Artemiseño this Friday, that the only bus assembler in Cuba cannot advance in the repair work of the buses in Havana, despite having recently received a large donation of parts from the Chinese government.
This Saturday, for example, the Electric Union of Cuba reported the shutdown of unit 1 of the CTE Felton power plant because of “high temperature in the bearings,” which will consequently contribute to prolonged blackouts throughout the day. Yesterday, according to the UNE, there was a maximum allocation of 1,707 megawatts (MW), slightly higher than that planned for today (1,685 MW at peak hours), with an availability of 1,665 MW and a maximum demand of 3,280 MW.
Meanwhile in Caisa, 100 buses are stranded in the company’s parking lot, waiting to be repaired for several months.
A hundred buses are stranded in the company’s parking lot
The workers of the company assure El Artemiseño that they do not believe that more than 20 can be ready before 2026. The employees also point out that, although 27 people are active in a workforce of 47, if they could complete their eight-hour working day, they would be able to be much more productive and meet the capital’s transport demand more effectively. continue reading
This would also partially alleviate the serious crisis of public transport in Havana, already marked by the shortage of fuel and aggravated by the poor state of maintenance of the buses.
The situation is further complicated by the lack of operational vehicles. Recent statistics from the Ministry of Transport and the Provincial Company indicate that of the 435 buses which should be circulating in the capital, only 130 are able to operate. This represents only 35% of the fleet, with serious consequences for urban mobility. Of the 17 main and 112 secondary routes, less than half are in regular operation, affecting especially the working community, students and people who have to travel for health reasons.
The lack of buses is compounded by damage caused by misuse and vandalism: broken windows, chipped glass, damaged door systems and stolen parts, even in the new Foton minibuses from China, of which only 34 out of 50 were recently serviced. In the face of this shortcoming, many citizens are forced to resort to taxi drivers, but the prices of these private taxis have become significantly more expensive in recent years.
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.