Cuba accuses US of 'genocidal' sanctions

The Ministry of Energy said power had been fully restored across Cuba 36 hours after another nationwide blackout.

According to the ministry, the national grid was restored at around 11:35 a.m. local time on Tuesday after the outage began on Sunday evening. It was the fourth nationwide blackout in a month. Officials had previously said restoration efforts were delayed on Monday due to bad weather.

Meanwhile, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said that the electricity supply disruptions were caused by US sanctions, including an effective oil blockade that has been in place for the past eight months. According to him, the restrictions have deprived the country of fuel, spare parts, and access to international specialists.

"The disconnections of the national electric system (SEN) are direct consequences of the genocidal blockade of the United States against Cuba," Rodríguez wrote on X.

What else to know

As previously reported, the Trump administration has intensified economic sanctions on Cuba in an effort to topple the communist government that has ruled the island for nearly 70 years.

In response to US pressure, Havana has introduced a number of market-oriented economic reforms. However, Cuban officials insist that their system of governance is non-negotiable.

Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported, citing Axios, that Cuba had purchased 300 drones that could potentially be deployed against US military bases. The drones are believed to have been supplied by Russia and Iran.

RBC-Ukraine also previously explained why President Donald Trump once again turned his attention to Cuba in May.