The Kremlin Is Losing Its Main Outpost Off U.S. Shores
- 18.02.2026, 18:51
The collapse of Russia's "Caribbean empire".
US President Donald Trump's Cuba policy has brought life on the island to a near standstill. Serious problems are observed primarily with fuel.
About this writes Kyiv Post correspondent Jason Jay Smart on social network X.
Fuel blockade and isolation
As the publication notes, the US has cut off the flow of oil to the island in an attempt to force the communist government to make political and economic reforms. The situation has been exacerbated by military action in Venezuela and the threat of tariffs against Mexico.
According to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Cuban regime, which previously survived on subsidies from the USSR and Venezuela, has been left without outside support for the first time.
Collapse of infrastructure and economy
CNN notes that life on the island of 10 million people is gradually grinding to a halt due to severe fuel shortages.
Flights from Russia and Canada have been canceled due to a lack of jet fuel for long-haul flights. Britain and Canada have already urged their citizens to refrain from traveling to Cuba.
Schools have been suspended and workers have been put on forced leave to conserve energy. Havana and other cities have been plunged into total darkness every night by rolling blackouts.
Trouble has been seen in other areas: Sherritt International has suspended nickel and cobalt mining, and the annual Habanos cigar festival, which brings in millions of dollars in revenue, has been canceled.
At the same time, public hospitals have cut back on services, and garbage trucks that don't work have left city streets littered with waste.
The threat of famine
Most food in Cuba is imported, but blackouts have meant private companies can no longer store produce in refrigerators and are suspending operations.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel called on the population to "creative resistance" and adopt a wartime mentality, warning that food could not be transported between municipalities because of fuel shortages.
RF loses control
With such a crisis in Cuba as a backdrop, Jason J. Smart pointed out that the Kremlin's "Caribbean empire" is crumbling.
In particular, Russia is unable to repair Cuba's S-75 (developed in 1957) and S-125 (developed in 1961) air defense systems at Havana's request because the aggressor country has run out of parts.
Moscow has also begun evacuating its tourists from Cuba because there is a risk that there will not be enough jet fuel for return flights.
"If Russia can't refuel planes for its citizens, it obviously can't maintain power projection," Smart writes.
In his view, "the game is almost over for the Kremlin."