There was a complete power outage in Cuba. What the media is writing
A large—scale blackout has occurred in Cuba - the national electricity grid has completely failed. This is the third such case since the United States stepped up pressure on the island to change its government. There is a shortage of fuel and medicines in the country, and the tourism industry has practically ceased to exist. How the media describe the situation in Cuba is in the Izvestia digest.
CNN: Cuba faces nationwide power outage
On July 6, Cuba experienced a nationwide power outage due to the ongoing energy crisis, exacerbated by the de facto U.S. blockade of fuel supplies. The Cuban Ministry of Energy announced the complete collapse of the national electricity grid. The head of the department, Vicente de la O Levy, said that the authorities are working to restore power supply and have already activated emergency "microsystems" that ensure the operation of vital services.
CNN
Cuba has experienced several nationwide power outages in the past few years as the country's outdated electricity infrastructure struggles to cope with growing demand. This year, the country's energy crisis worsened after the United States forced Cuba's main oil suppliers to cut off supplies. In March, at least two total power outages occurred during the week.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel criticized the United States for blocking fuel imports, saying Washington was trying to provoke a "social explosion by strangulation." The island's energy crisis has put a strain on vital services, including education, transportation, and medicine. The new US sanctions have also further worsened the Cuban economy and scared many tourists away from the island.
Reuters: Cuba has started restoring electricity supply in Havana
Cuba has begun gradually restoring electricity supply after a failure occurred in the country's national electricity grid, which was another blow to the island, which is already suffering from severe shortages of energy, fuel and medicines. The UNE electricity grid operator said it was providing electricity to some vital services, including hospitals and food production centers, but by the end of July 6, it was able to meet only 1% of the needs of the capital Havana.
Reuters
The nationwide power outage and slow recovery is another bad news for Cubans, already exhausted by rolling blackouts that make it impossible for many to work or sleep in the summer Caribbean heat.
When the power grid collapsed, almost two-thirds of the country was already without electricity, so many residents of the island, mostly disconnected and accustomed to the lack of electricity, hardly noticed the difference. The July 6 blackout was the eighth since October 2025 and the third this year. The United States, meanwhile, calls the Cuban government a threat to national security and says such sanctions are necessary in order to force a change in the island's government, which is a long-standing goal of U.S. policy towards Cuba.
The Guardian: Cuba has experienced its third nationwide power outage
Cuba has experienced its third nationwide power outage since the beginning of the year. The already poor island was struggling to make ends meet, even before US President Donald Trump imposed an oil blockade in January that depleted scarce fuel supplies for Cuban power plants.
The Guardian
"It's a torment to live like this," says Mayball Font, a 51—year—old entrepreneur who manages social media communities. Font said her neighborhood in Havana was surviving with only "three to four hours a day with electricity," but a total blackout was worse because "you never know when it (electricity) will come back."
The country's authorities are imposing increasingly severe restrictions on electricity supply — shutdowns of more than 24 hours in a row in some areas of Havana and more than 70 hours in rural areas — in a desperate attempt to save fuel. Since January, Washington has allowed only one oil tanker from Russia to enter the port of Cuba. The blockade, combined with a number of sanctions against the Cuban State and foreign companies doing business with it, brought the country closer to the brink of collapse. There is an increasing shortage of food, drinking water and medicines, prompting the UN to warn of a humanitarian disaster.
CNN: US pressure campaign scares away tourists from Cuba
Cuba's tourism sector seems to have everything from snow-white sandy beaches to Spanish colonial forts. Everyone except the tourists. The island's economy has been in a critical spiral following a series of sanctions imposed by the Trump administration against the communist government. As services stop being provided and shortages worsen, foreign tourists — and the income they generate — disappear faster than ice in a mojito on a summer day.
CNN
Former tourist centers have now turned into ghost towns, including Old Havana, the original settlement of the Cuban capital, founded in the 16th century and considered one of the best preserved examples of Spanish colonial architecture in America. "There are no tourists here," said Elio, one of the members of a guitar duo that has been performing traditional Cuban music for almost 30 years near the historic square in Old Havana.
According to government statistics, in the first five months of 2026, only 360 thousand tourists visited the island, which is 58% less than in the same period of the previous year. For comparison, Cuba's neighboring Dominican Republic reported a more than tenfold increase in the number of tourists over the same period. Cuba's tourism sector suffered greatly during the pandemic and has not recovered since. The tightening of US economic sanctions has only worsened the situation, scaring away many tourists. Tour operators such as the British company Cubania Travel were forced to suspend all trips indefinitely.
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