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Cuba crisis deepens as US blockade starves island of oil

Elena Gyldenkerne
February 14, 2026

The United Nations says it is deeply alarmed by the worsening crisis in Cuba. The Caribbean island is struggling under a de facto US blockade on oil shipments.

https://p.dw.com/p/58mU0

Tourists are rushing to leave Cuba as fuel shortages and nationwide power cuts halt transport, and hotels are forced to shut temporarily.

The crisis on the Caribbean island has only deepened since Washington blocked Venezuelan oil and pressured other suppliers to withhold shipments.

With daily life disrupted, many Cubans are reinventing how they work to cope with the island's worsening energy shortage.