“The possibility of resuming flights will be addressed after the situation with fuel supplies is normalized,” the Kremlin said.
EFE/14ymedio, Moscow, February 22, 2026 — Russian airlines announced on Sunday that they have completed the repatriation of nearly 4,300 tourists stranded in Cuba due to the energy crisis caused by the US embargo. “The airlines have completed the repatriation flights for Russian tourists from Cuba,” the Ministry of Transport said in a statement on Telegram.
The last plane landed at 5:27 p.m. local time at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, which had to limit the number of flights due to Ukrainian drone attacks.
It was a flight from the Rossia company (Aeroflot Group) that took off from Varadero – one of the favorite tourist destinations among Russians – and which represented “the final flight within the framework of the campaign that began on February 13.”
In total, according to the Ministry, “almost 4,300” Russian tourists were repatriated from Varadero, Havana, Holguín and Cayo Coco on nine flights.
“Nearly 4,300” Russian tourists were repatriated from Varadero, Havana, Holguín and Cayo Coco on nine flights
“The possibility of resuming flights will be addressed after the situation with fuel supplies is normalized,” he added.
On February 11, the Russian government recommended that tour operators stop selling trips to Cuba, after which airlines announced they would temporarily suspend flights.
With 131,882 travelers to Cuba in 2025, Russia is the second largest source of tourists to the Island, after Canada (754,010), which in turn finished the repatriation of its nearly 28,000 tourists on Friday.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez discussed the energy crisis this week in Moscow with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. “You know our position on this. We will not accept anything like this,” Putin said at the beginning of the meeting.
Bruno Rodríguez discussed the energy crisis in Moscow this week with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the meeting addressed the specific assistance Moscow can provide to Havana under the current circumstances.
Previously, Lavrov and Rodríguez called for dialogue with the United States, asking it to abandon its plans for a naval blockade of Cuba.
Moscow recently announced that it is in contact with Cuban authorities and that oil supplies to the Castro regime are planned, something that has not happened since the shipment of 100,000 tons of crude oil in February 2025.
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