Russia is preparing to dispatch crude oil and fuel shipments to Cuba as humanitarian assistance, the Russian embassy in Havana told Izvestia newspaper, which reported the statement on Thursday.
In comments carried by Izvestia, a diplomat at the Russian embassy said: "Supply of crude and oil products is expected from Russia to Cuba in the near future as humanitarian aid." The embassy did not provide additional details in the report about volumes, timing, or the precise mix of crude and refined products.
Izvestia also noted that Russia's most recent delivery of oil to Cuba took place in February 2025, when a shipment of 100,000 metric tons was sent to the island.
The announcement arrives as Cuba confronts acute fuel shortages that have intensified following measures by the United States designed to restrict the island's oil supplies. The shortfall has reached the point where Cuban authorities have informed international airlines that jet fuel will no longer be available, a development that carries immediate implications for aviation services to and from the country.
Cuba historically relied on Venezuela for a large portion of its jet fuel needs. However, the flow of crude and refined products from Venezuela to Cuba has been interrupted since mid-December, after Washington took steps to block Venezuelan exports to the island, the report said. The halt in Venezuelan deliveries has contributed to the current scarcity on the island.
While the Russian embassy's remarks indicate an intention to send aid, the public statement reported by Izvestia did not specify a delivery schedule or confirm whether the shipments will be sufficient to alleviate the shortages now affecting airlines and other fuel-dependent sectors in Cuba. The characterization of the cargoes as humanitarian aid frames the planned transfers in non-commercial terms, but operational and logistical details remain unreported in the embassy's statement carried by the newspaper.
As described in the Izvestia report, the developments underscore a constrained fuel situation in Cuba driven by restricted access to imports and the interruption of a key supplier relationship, with Russia now positioned to provide assistance that previously arrived from other partners.