Translating Cuba – English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island

The US Sanctions the Cuban State Company Gaesa, Its President and the State-Owned Nickel Mining Company

The list falls under Trump’s executive order from six days ago, which establishes sanctions for those “responsible for repression in Cuba and threats to the national security” of the United States.

Image of the nickel mines in Moa, Holguín, shared by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, criticizing the new US sanctions. / X/@BrunoRguezP

14ymedio, Madrid, May 7, 2026 / The State Department named new individuals within the Cuban regime, on Thursday, sanctioned by the United States. They are the powerful Business Administration Group (GAESA); its president, Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera; and the state-owned company associated with the Canadian firm Sherritt International that operates in the Holguín mines, Moa Nickel SA.

In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that he designated these “subjects” under the executive order signed by President Donald Trump on May 1, which determined to impose sanctions “on those responsible for repression in Cuba and threats to U.S. national security and foreign policy.”

Cuba’s military conglomerate Gaesa is on the list, the document states, “for operating or having operated in the financial services sector of the Cuban economy,” and its president, “for being or having been a leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors of Gaesa.” As for Moa Nickel, it is sanctioned “for operating or having operated in the metallurgical and mining sector of the Cuban economy.”

This same Thursday, citing Trump’s May 1st order, Sherritt, the international partner of the Cuban state mining company, announced the suspension of its activities on the island and the immediate repatriation of its employees, including the Cubans it employs in Canada.

It is within this context that the stampede of the Canadian Sherritt from the nickel mines in Moa can be explained.

The sanctions, Rubio explained, mean that “all property and interests” of those designated “are blocked” and “must be reported to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).” Any entity or individual, the statement continued, “that is 50% or more owned, directly or indirectly, by them or with other blocked persons, is also blocked.”

Also prohibited are transactions by Americans, within the country or even in transit, involving any property or interest of the sanctioned, unless, continue reading

it specifies, authorized by an OFAC license.

Similarly, it warns that “foreign individuals who participate in transactions with designated persons” or “who operate in the energy, defense and related materials, metallurgy and mining, financial services, or security sectors of the Cuban economy” risk being “subject to sanctions.” It is within this context that the exodus of the Canadian company Sherritt from the nickel mines in Moa can be explained.

The regime reacted immediately to the new sanctions through its usual channel: the X account of Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez. “With the additional collective punishment measures announced today against Cuba, the US government confirms its genocidal intent against the Cuban nation and dispels any doubt about the falsity of its pretexts for attacking our country,” the foreign minister stated, without mentioning any of those sanctioned by name, but attaching an image of the Holguín mining operation.

______________________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

More Sanctions Against the Cuban Regime Are Coming, Marco Rubio Announces in Rome

Gaesa is “a holding company created by generals that has generated billions of dollars in revenue, none of which benefits the Cuban people,” the Secretary of State explained to the Italian press.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside his Italian counterpart, Antonio Tajani, at the Farnesina Palace in Rome, this Friday. / EFE/EPA/Fabio Frustaci

14ymedio, Madrid, May 8, 2025 / US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserted on Friday that further sanctions against the Cuban regime will follow those announced on Thursday. When asked about them at a press conference in Rome, after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, he explained that the Business Administration Group (GAESA) is “a holding company created by generals in Cuba that has generated billions of dollars in revenue, none of which benefits the Cuban people.”

He continued: “Not a single cent of that money benefits the Cuban people. There is the Cuban government, which has a budget, and then there is this private company that has more money than the government itself. Not a single cent from that company goes toward building a single road, a single bridge, or providing a single grain of rice to a single Cuban, except for the people who are part of GAESA.”

“These are not sanctions against the Cuban people,” he affirmed, but rather sanctions against “companies that are basically taking everything that generates money in Cuba and illegally funneling it into the pockets of a few members of the regime.” He emphasized this point, arguing that “this is a sanction against this company that is robbing the Cuban people for the benefit of a few.”

“These are not sanctions against the Cuban people,” he affirmed, but rather sanctions against “companies that are basically taking everything that generates money in Cuba.”

Rubio said he did not discuss it during the audience yesterday, Thursday, with Pope Leo XIV, but added: “We are going to take further measures.”

What they did discuss, he said, was aid to Cuba. Regarding this, he informed the Pope that the United States had provided six million dollars in humanitarian aid, which was distributed by Caritas, the Catholic Church’s charity, and that they were prepared to do more.

“In fact,” he asserted, “we have offered the regime $100 million in humanitarian aid. Unfortunately, so far they have not agreed to distribute it continue reading

to help the people of Cuba. We considered providing hurricane relief, but it is the regime that refuses. It is the regime that is standing in the way.”

The US, he emphasized, “wants to help Cuba, which is suffering because of this incompetent regime that has destroyed the country and the economy.”

The State Department, headed by Rubio, on Thursday named new individuals sanctioned by the U.S. administration within the Cuban regime: in addition to Gaesa: they are the president of Gaesa, Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, and the state-owned company associated with the Canadian firm Sherritt International that operates in the Holguín mines, Moa Nickel SA

The Foreign Ministry itself echoed this Friday the demonstrations carried out in Italy this Thursday against the Secretary of State

In a statement, the Secretary of State explained that he designated these “subjects” under the executive order signed by President Donald Trump on May 1 , which determined to impose sanctions “on those responsible for repression in Cuba and threats to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”

The regime reacted immediately to the new sanctions, via the Foreign Minister’s social media accounts, which described the measures as a “collective punishment” and denounced the US for “its genocidal intent against the Cuban nation.”

The Italian Foreign Ministry itself echoed reports on Friday of the demonstrations held in Italy on Thursday against the US Secretary of State for his visit, in “more than 50 cities.” The official press also reported a “massive demonstration” in Rome’s central Piazza dei Apostoli, organized by the Network of Communists and other far-left youth organizations, such as Cambiare Rotta and the Alternative Student Opposition (OSA). “Rubio out of Rome!” and “Cuba is not alone!” were among the slogans chanted by the pro-Castro crowd.

______________________

Meliá Closes 50% of Its Hotels in Cuba Due to Lack of Tourists

Executives of the Spanish chain state that domestic tourism accounts for “virtually all bookings for hotels still open”

The situation confirms the deterioration of a market that for decades was considered strategic for Meliá. / EFE

14ymedio, Madrid, May 7, 2026 / The Spanish hotel chain Meliá Hotels International has reduced its operations in Cuba, closing approximately 50% of its hotel capacity on the island. The decision, implemented gradually during the first quarter of the year, is a response to the energy crisis, fuel shortages, and the decline in international air connections, as the company acknowledged in its financial results, published this Thursday.

The Balearic company, one of the largest foreign operators in the Cuban tourism sector, did not specify how many or which of its hotels remain closed. However, it admitted that as of the end of March, only about half of its hotel portfolio in the country was operational, where it currently manages 34 establishments and more than 5,000 rooms.

The chain also acknowledges that the establishments still operating depend almost entirely on domestic tourism, which accounts for “virtually all bookings for the hotels still open.” However, this market is insufficient to offset the drop in foreign visitors. In practice, the company has been forced to reduce its operational presence in the country while it awaits an eventual normalization of energy supplies and a recovery in international demand.

Meliá notes that operations in Cuba have been “significantly compromised” since the beginning of the year due to difficulties in obtaining fuel and the deterioration of the tourism market.

The measure expands upon the adjustment announced in February, when Meliá reported the temporary closure of three of its 35 hotels in Cuba . Operations are now concentrated in a smaller number of facilities, an increasingly common practice in the Cuban tourism sector due to shortages of customers, fuel, and supplies.

In its report, Meliá notes that its operations in Cuba have been “significantly compromised” since the beginning of the year due to difficulties in obtaining fuel and the deteriorating tourism market. The company added that the lack of aviation fuel has led to the cancellation of numerous direct flights to the island, including those from continue reading

Canada, which remains the country’s main source of tourists.

This collapse in flights further aggravated an already weakened international demand. Hotels that remained open registered an average occupancy rate of just 34.1% between January and March, a very low figure for a destination that for years received substantial public investment in tourism infrastructure.

The situation confirms the decline of a market that for decades was considered strategic for Meliá. The company operates in destinations such as Havana, Varadero, Cayo Coco, Cayo Santa María, and Holguín, many of them designed for international sun and beach tourism. However, the combination of power outages, fuel shortages, logistical problems, and reduced flights has severely limited the profitability of these destinations.

In its forecasts, the hotel chain warns that the evolution of the business in Cuba will depend on how events unfold, the recovery of supplies, and an eventual return to normality.

Looking ahead to the coming months, the hotel chain is avoiding offering a clear reopening timeline. In its forecasts, it cautions that the evolution of the business in Cuba will depend on how events unfold, the recovery of supplies, and an eventual return to normality. Meanwhile, operations will continue to be limited by the drop in international demand and the coordinated lockdown measures implemented in the country.

The Cuban blow was also reflected in Meliá’s global accounts. The company posted a net profit of €3.3 million in the first quarter, 68% less than the €10.5 million earned in the same period of the previous year. Despite this drop, the group’s total global revenue increased by 4.4% to €460.6 million, and RevPAR, the indicator that measures revenue per available room, grew by 8.3%.

The company attributes this positive performance to other markets, especially holiday destinations in Spain, Europe, and the Caribbean, where it reports double-digit growth compared to the previous year. It also maintains that, for the time being, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have not had a significant impact on either demand or costs, although it remains cautious regarding potential energy price increases and disruptions to air capacity.

For Cuba, however, the outlook is much bleaker. The island is experiencing one of the worst energy crises in its history, with prolonged blackouts, electricity generation deficits, and chronic difficulties importing fuel. This situation affects the population, state-owned enterprises, and also foreign businesses that depend on a stable infrastructure to operate.

______________________

The Onei Admits That Cuba Lacks 91.5% of Medicines and Health Supplies

Inflation figures, 1.5% in April and 14.7% year-on-year, reflect the disappearance of drugs, which are now acquired almost entirely on the black market at high prices.

Illegal drug stall on Diez de Octubre Avenue in Havana. / 14ymedio

The shortage of essential medicines has reached such levels that it is almost necessary to “invent” the cost of products to calculate the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in Cuba. In its April price report, published this Thursday by the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), an imputation rate of 91.5% had to be applied in the Health category, a record high since this report began being compiled.

Imputation is a tool used in statistics when the technicians compiling the data cannot find a particular product on the market—whether due to scarcity or unavailability. In this situation, the surveyors make an estimate to ensure the continuity of the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This practice is standardized and necessary to maintain the data chain, but it also reveals where there are gaps, whether they are significant, whether they persist over time, and their evolution, among other indicators.

The table for this month shows, as usual, that most sectors remain reasonably stable – with imputations between 0% and 2% – with the exception of the food and non-alcoholic beverages sector, where a 5.25% adjustment was necessary. High imputations in this segment are common in the ONEI CPI reports due to shortages of many food products. For example, a very high rate of 25% was recorded in November 2024.

The shortage was already evident as far back as December 2021, when a 50% charge had to be applied.

However, nothing compares to the catastrophe suffered by the Health division, a segment where prices don’t usually rise. The real reason isn’t so much whether they do or not, but their mere absence. The shortage was continue reading

already evident as far back as December 2021, when a 50% imputation had to be applied. Looking at the trend, almost randomly, one can see how the situation has worsened dramatically. In March 2022, the rate rose to 56.6%, by August 2023 it was already at 66%, and in September 2024 it reached 85%. Just two months later (November 2024) it reached an unprecedented peak of 90.9%, but it stabilized in 2025.

It isn’t that the situation is not much better, as imputations hovered around 85% throughout last year, but that this March they reached 88.7%, and the absolute record was set in April. This figure indicates that almost all products must be “estimated” because there’s no way to measure them, revealing that Cubans are acquiring virtually all their medicines and medical supplies on the black market. The situation has been entrenched for more than five years, but the shortage has reached unsustainable levels that, according to experts, only appear in contexts of hyperinflation and extreme scarcity.

Moreover, inflation levels are rising again after the restraint shown for many months last year. This month, prices rose 1.5% overall, although some sectors stand out, such as transportation at 2.7%. And this doesn’t even take into account the brutal price hikes seen on the street, where gasoline can be found for 5,000 pesos per liter. “Just yesterday, my sister had to go to a family celebration here, about 20 blocks away. We had to make three trips, and the driver charged us 12,000 pesos for each one,” a resident of Luyanó told this newspaper.

The food sector is also rising again and is 21% more expensive than in April 2025, as are restaurants and hotels.

In April, intercity buses and taxis saw price increases of between 10% and 13%, and while the rise in urban transport was more moderate, taxis, at 8.4%, experienced the smallest price hike. This sector, which has been suffering the consequences of fuel shortages for years, is 17% more expensive since January and 21% more expensive compared to prices a year ago, with the resulting consequences for a population for whom transportation is essential.

The food sector is also rising again, and is 21% more expensive than in April 2025, as are restaurants and hotels—which includes takeaway food—which have increased by 24% year-on-year. Although most of the highlighted food items showed price decreases this month, others, such as milk, taro, and mutton, increased by almost 5% in some cases.

Overall, inflation has risen 7.18% so far this year and 14.7% year-on-year, according to data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI). For months now, prices from private vendors have accounted for 83% of the database due to shortages in state-run markets. Meanwhile, American economist Steve Hanke published his own estimate this Friday, which projects inflation at 29% by 2025, placing Cuba 40th in his ranking of the world’s poorest countries. Just a few weeks ago, he placed annual inflation at 44%, while the Cuban peso has depreciated 30% against the dollar, the fifth worst performance for any currency in the world.

______________________

Havana Chronicles: The Refuse of Disenchantment

Each mountain of garbage reveals a country where ideological books end up mixed with broken appliances.

Each abandoned package tells the story of a family that saved money for months to escape the blackouts. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Havana, May 7, 2026 / I pass by yet another mountain of garbage I encounter on the road, and it’s as if each piece of trash speaks to me. The true national narrative emerges from this waste that rots under the May sun and is carried by the wind or downpours through streets and avenues. There are countries that tell their history through their shop windows and museums, but here ours are narrated by our filth.

Years ago, the garbage dumps were littered with vegetable peels, rice husks, and even Granma newspapers. Now, among the trash, boxes empty of rechargeable flashlights, Chinese batteries, small solar panels, and portable generators are appearing. The Island of Darkness has begun to leave its mark even in the garbage. Each abandoned package speaks of a family that saved dollars for months to escape the blackouts, but also of the sacrifice of the emigrants who help illuminate the dark nights.

The boxes often still have the product photos printed on them: a lightbulb in the middle of a spotless room, a smiling couple as electricity illuminates a kitchen where nothing is ever lacking. The advertising for these appliances has a cruel edge in Cuba. The images on their packaging don’t just sell energy—I’d say energy—they also sell normalcy. They promise a quiet fan, refrigerated food, mosquito-free nights, and children doing homework under steady light. They promise a country that doesn’t exist.

Even stray animals have learned to read the transformation of our waste. The dogs and cats that roam around the garbage know that people are throwing away fewer and fewer edible items. Before, they found bones, leftover food, pieces of stale bread. Now they rummage for hours through nylon, damp cardboard, and plastic containers to find barely anything to eat. Inflation has also emptied the garbage piles of the remnants of our daily rations. continue reading

The “divers” know this better than anyone; those men and women who submerge half their bodies inside containers looking for something to eat or to feed a pig

The “divers” know this better than anyone—those men and women who plunge half their bodies into shipping containers looking for something to eat or to feed a pig. Most of the time they stumble upon bladeless fans, gutted televisions, open electric rice cookers, damp mattress stuffing, pieces of plastic, and scraps of cardboard. Some of these appliances were broken by the brutal power surges that accompany the return of electricity after a blackout.

But perhaps nothing is more symbolic than the discarded books. There they are, soaked by the rain and covered in mold: old manuals of Marxism, volumes of political speeches, complete collections of ideological propaganda, and even diplomas awarded “for outstanding participation in socialist emulations.” Sometimes files from state offices appear, bureaucratic papers carelessly tossed aside, and entire archives that no one bothered to destroy. As if even the authorities themselves had lost faith in their significance. Cuban trash no longer contains only material remains: it contains a part of the nation’s disillusionment.

However, amidst all this waste, small dreams also emerge. A box from an air conditioner bought in Panama that will barely turn on due to the lack of electricity. An empty perfume bottle brought from Miami that was never used in a club, because most are closed in this city. Box after box of European chocolates, stored for days before being thrown into the tank, which consumed a good portion of a month’s salary.

It is enough to look at the trash dumps to understand what this nation eats, what it has lost, what it desires, and what it has stopped believing in.

Previous Havana Chronicles:

Under a Picture-Postcard Blue Sky, the Country is Crumbling

Fatigue Barely Allows One to Enjoy the ‘Lights On’ in Havana

Dollars, the Classic Card, and a Havana Without Tourists

A Journey Through the Lost Names of Havana

The Shipwreck of a Ship Called “Cuba”

Havana Seen From ‘The Control Tower’

In Havana, the Only Ones Who Move Are the Mosquitoes

Reina, the Stately Street Where Garbage is Sold

Searching for Light Through the Deserted Streets of Havana

The Death Throes of ‘Granma’, the Mouthpiece of a Regime Cornered by Crisis

The Anxiety of the Disconnected Cuban

One Mella, Three Mellas, Life in Cuba Is Measured in Thousands of Pesos

It Is Forbidden To Leave Home in Cuba Today Because It Is a “Counter-Revolutionary Day”

Vedado, the Heart of Havana’s Nightlife, Is Now Converted Into a Desert

Havana, in Critical Condition
______________________

Canadian Company Sherritt Suspends its Operations in Cuba and Repatriates its Staff

The multinational nickel company attributes this decision to the new US sanctions against the Havana regime.
Cuban employees at the company’s facilities in Alberta province will have to return to the island.

Sherritt executives with Cuban officials at the mining complex in Moa, Holguín, in an archive photo. / ACN

14ymedio, Madrid May 7, 2026 / The Canadian company Sherritt International Corporation announced this Thursday the suspension of its joint venture activities in Cuba with immediate effect and will begin repatriating its employees on the island, and similarly Cubans in Canada. The Toronto-based mining company had been operating in Cuba since 1991, but sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump have brought this venture to an end 35 years later.

In a statement issued by the Toronto-based company, Sherritt reports the decision made after a meeting with its advisors, which it had already announced on Monday, when it said it would evaluate the situation after learning of the executive order signed by Trump on May 4, which targets non-U.S. citizens and entities doing business on the island.

“Sherritt has not been formally designated under the executive order. However, such a designation could occur at any time. In any case, its mere issuance creates conditions that materially alter the Corporation’s ability to operate in the ordinary course of business, including activities related to the operations of the Cuban joint venture,” the statement explains.

The company announced that Brian Imrie, Richard Moat, and Brett Richards have resigned from the Corporation’s Board of Directors “effective immediately.”

In addition, the company announced that Brian Imrie, Richard Moat, and Brett Richards have resigned from the Corporation’s Board of Directors “effective immediately.” While no reasons have been specified, it is assumed that their departures are due to the possibility of individual disciplinary action. continue reading

In the statement, the company adds that the decision has been communicated to the Cuban side via letter. So far, there has been no reaction from Cuban authorities, although one is expected, given that this Thursday’s front page of the State newspaper Granma features an article titled “Sanctions, Threats… The History of a Genocidal Vocation,” dedicated to this issue, and this occurred before the Canadian company’s decision, which has generated substantial profits for the Cuban state coffers, was even known.

“Currently, there is no immediate impact on operations in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. The refinery continues to produce finished nickel and cobalt for sale. The feed inventory available for this production is expected to last until approximately mid-June,” the company statement added.

According to its explanation, the Trump administration’s executive order contained other potential problems, such as the possibility that suppliers of any kind—financial or material—could cease supporting their operations or other activities. It also indicated that its advisors would continue to evaluate the implications of the measure.

Sherritt’s relationship with Cuba began in the early 1990s, when the Canadian company started buying nickel concentrate from the island for its refinery in Alberta. This business eventually led to another: direct mining operations. Years later, it was the foreign company that had most diversified its activities in Cuba, becoming involved in sectors such as oil, gas, and energy, especially through its stake in Energas, where it holds a 33% share.

Although this issue is not addressed in the statement, it is understood that it is also leaving the joint venture.

Although this issue is not addressed in the statement, it is understood that it is also leaving the joint venture it shares with the state-owned companies Cuba Petróleo (Cupet) and Unión Eléctrica de Cuba. This company, which supplies approximately 10% of the energy to the national electricity grid, has three power plants in the north of the island, in Varadero, Boca de Jaruco, and Puerto Escondido.

In addition, the company owns mines in Moa (Holguín). In February of this year, Sherritt announced it was pausing mining operations and putting its processing plant on hold. The decision was made after receiving “notification that planned fuel deliveries to Moa will not be met and the timeframe for resuming deliveries is unknown,” the statement said.

The company has been a key asset for the Cuban state, which has used the lucrative revenues from nickel and cobalt to meet its international obligations, so the blow is evident. However, in the last month it was revealed that Chinese technology had arrived at the state-owned Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara plant. This could be a sign that China will fill the void left by the Canadian company.

______________________

The Cuban Economy Will Suffer a Much Larger GDP Decline Than Predicted by ECLAC

Cuban economist Pedro Monreal predicts a 15% drop in gross domestic product, compared to the 6.5% forecast by the Latin American organization

Informal stalls on Monte Street in Havana have proliferated as the economy deteriorates. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, May 7, 2026 / Cuban economist Pedro Monreal is far more pessimistic in his forecasts for 2026 than the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) [CEPAL in Spanish], predicting a 15% drop in Cuba’s gross domestic product (GDP) [PIB in Spanish], “similar to the 14.9% drop in 1993.” The expert acknowledges that such a calculation is very complicated “because it essentially attempts to assign a number to uncertainty,” but he warns of the seriousness of the figure, “because the current crisis is more intractable than the crisis of the 1990s.”

Last week, ECLAC estimated that the Cuban economy would contract by 6.5% in 2026, the worst in the entire region. This figure significantly revised the estimate from the end of 2025, which projected growth of 0.1%. At that time,it was just three weeks before the United States intervened in Venezuela, ousted Nicolás Maduro, and imposed the oil embargo that is proving devastating for the island’s economy.

Monreal also warns, in an analysis published this Wednesday in Substack, that the previous year ended much worse than the 1.5% decline projected by ECLAC, which is based on official data. The specialist outlines two scenarios, indicating a drop of between 9.1% and 12.5%, based on State Production of Goods and Services (PEBS), that is, everything produced by state-owned enterprises in any sector, given the unavailability of GDP figures.

The economist estimates that prices rose 15% in the best-case scenario and 20% in the worst.

Monreal compares the nominal value—current prices—of state production between 2024 and 2025, adjusting it for inflation. The economist estimates that prices rose 15% in the best-case scenario and 20% in the worst. To arrive at the final figure, he divides the GDP at current prices by the price indices, obtaining these declines that result in economic contraction far exceeding the regional agency’s 1.5%. continue reading

The poor PEBS figures for 2025 foreshadow a bleak outlook for the current year, which “significantly complicates the solution to the structural crisis.”

So far this year, and with a geopolitical context that does little to help, the indicators of the Cuban economy have only worsened, including the tourism figures published last week by the National Office of Statistics and Information (Onei), which once again confirmed the catastrophe.

In the first quarter of the year, the country has lost almost half the number of tourists it attracted during the same period in 2025, a year that was very negative for the sector that has received the most budgetary resources in recent years. So far in 2026, 298,057 international travelers have arrived on the island, compared to 573,363 last year, a drop of 48%.

In recent years, the Cuban economy has alternated between stagnation and contraction, failing to achieve a sustained recovery since the pandemic and the failed internal reforms. The Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean 2025, published by ECLAC last February, ranked Cuba last in the region in GDP per capita after two consecutive years of economic decline.

According to an analysis of this yearbook by Cuban economist Elías Amor Bravo, at current prices, Cuba has a GDP per capita of $1,082 compared to a regional average of over $10,000. Even countries with more fragile economies, such as Haiti, surpass the island in this indicator. When adjusted for inflation (constant prices), the gap narrows, but Cuba still falls below the regional average.

______________________

The Time Has Come

The Action for Amnesty 2026 Forum could be the starting point for a solid opposition front

March in favor of the release of Cuban political prisoners on the anniversary of 11J, in Miami, July 2024. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, Ariel Hidalgo, May 6, 2026 / The time has come for the Cuban people to be present and speak out. They need no permission to speak and act in their own home, for their consciousness has grown. It is time to make heard, loud and clearm, their naked yet luminous truth, for it needs no deceptive trappings of lies, both in the face of those who clamor for a false sovereignty and the powerful neighbor who ignores the Cuban people, claiming that the country’s devastation is due to a dysfunction of the nation itself and not to the model upheld by those who have oppressed the people under the pretext of a false representation.

Until today, at this crucial moment when the fate of our nation is to be decided, the voice of our people has not been heard, just as it was ignored in 1898 when peace was agreed upon between two foreign powers to determine the fate of our land in the Treaty of Paris, after a war initiated by Cubans themselves to achieve their independence. This omission cannot be repeated. In a conflict that has lasted for many years, the lives of so many brothers and sisters, as well as the sacrifices of so many warriors for peace, cannot be ignored.

But now the time has come to remove the gags and make our presence felt, without hatred or resentment, but peacefully demanding respect for all our rights.

But now the time has come to remove the gags and make our presence felt, without hatred or resentment, but peacefully demanding respect for all our rights

All the strands of the people are converging into a single voice, like a vibrant rainbow stretching from San Antonio to Maisí and from the coasts of Cuba to the world: union members, religious leaders, human rights activists, continue reading

writers, artists, feminists, environmentalists, lawyers, self-employed workers, and other sectors. This voice is not only clamoring for the freedom of political prisoners through the Action for Amnesty Forum 2026, founded on February 6th, but also for the dismantling of the social and legal structures that foster and perpetuate their imprisonment. And this forum is becoming the focal point for this entire spectrum of voices.

Because it is the integration of several alliances, such as D’Frente and the Council for the Democratic Transition of Cuba, composed of 34 organizations led by Manuel Cuesta Morua, as well as dissident academics Alina Bárbara López and Jenny Pantoja, and exiled activists such as Carolina Barrero, Ileana de La Guardia and Amelia Calzadilla. This forum must demand, massively before the world, the right to be recognized as the legitimate voice of the Cuban people, and not a spurious government that night after night receives, from many corners of the country, the resounding repudiation of the entire Cuban people.

The Forum could be the starting point of a solid opposition front, because if it called for “closing ranks” in the demand for amnesty, then now, in the face of the government’s declaration that political prisoners will not be released, we must close ranks to put an end to the context that led to this injustice, since this leadership leaves no alternative but to eradicate the political structures that generated the criminalization of dissent, an achievable goal if we take into account that there is also another authority in the people, the one that the leader of the Silk Road Revolution, Václav Havel, alluded to: “the power of the powerless.”

______________________

Rubio Downplays the Photo Taken With a Military Officer in Front of a Map of Cuba

The Secretary of State says he wants to speak with Pope Leo XIV about sending humanitarian aid to the island.

Photograph provided by the U.S. Southern Command showing the commanding general, Francis L. Donovan, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a map of Cuba in the background. / EFE/Christopher Bermudez

EFE (via 14ymedio), Washington, May 5, 2026 — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio downplayed on Tuesday the fact that he was photographed with the head of the US Southern Command in front of a map of Cuba and the apparent possibility that Washington is preparing an imminent military offensive against the island.

“Cuba is within the Southern Command. You know, it’s the closest part,” Rubio said at an unusual White House press conference, explaining that the decision to pose with the map of Cuba during his visit to the military command headquarters was simply because there was one in the room where the picture was taken.

Southern Command is one of the ten unified combatant commands and its area of influence includes all Latin American countries, except for Mexico.

“As it happened, there was a map of Cuba, and I commented: it would be a good idea for us to take a picture in front of that map, since it’s the closest thing to the US that we have inside the Southern Command.”

The Secretary of State visited the main headquarters of this command today, located in Miami, his hometown. “On my second visit there, our chiefs of mission from across the Western Hemisphere were present. I was addressing them, and at that moment, I met the general who had just assumed command of Southern Command,” he explained.

“As it happened, there was a map of Cuba, and I commented: it would be a good idea for us to take a picture in front of that map, since it’s the closest thing to the United States that we have within the Southern Command,” added the head of US diplomacy. continue reading

Marco Rubio himself, the grandson of Cuban immigrants, has been one of the leading advocates for Washington to take a hard line against the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel. This includes the oil embargo that the Trump administration has imposed on the island since January, after the Pentagon captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and cut off the flow of crude oil from Caracas to the island.

At the same press conference, Rubio stated that he wants to speak with Pope Leo XIV about the possibility of Washington providing more humanitarian aid to Cuba, to be distributed by the Church, but stressed that Cuban authorities must allow the operation.

The US Secretary of State explained that the trip to the Vatican will serve to address the possibility of expanding cooperation with the Church to channel assistance to the island.

Rubio insisted that the United States has already tried to send aid but faces obstacles from Havana.

Similarly, he emphasized that the United States has already tried to send aid but faces obstacles from Havana, and recalled that in February the White House sent $6 million to be distributed through Caritas. “We are prepared to provide more humanitarian aid to Cuba (…) but the Cuban regime has to allow us to do so,” the Secretary of State stated.

Rubio added that his agenda with the Holy See, which begins this Thursday, will also include broader topics, such as the defense of religious freedom globally. “We have shared concerns about religious freedom, and we would like to discuss that with them,” Marco Rubio stated, highlighting the shared interests between Washington and the Vatican in this area.

In that regard, Rubio commented on Leo XIV’s recent trip to West Africa, where he addressed the issue of freedom of worship, a matter that has greatly concerned the Trump Administration in countries like Nigeria, where Washington bombed Islamist groups at Christmas in retaliation for the killing of Christians.

Amid the recent controversy, Rubio downplayed the tensions between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV, denying that the president had directly accused the pontiff. Since January, the United States has imposed an oil embargo as a pressure tactic against the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel, and last week Trump threatened to take immediate control of Cuba after the end of the war in Iran.

______________________

The Cuban Regime Urgently Formalizes the New Category of Investors, Cubans Residing Abroad

The other measures published this Tuesday in the official ‘Gazette’ will come into effect within 180 days

From now on, all Cuban passport holders living abroad who wish to do business in Cuba can apply for this option, called the “investor and business” program. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, May 5, 2026 / This Tuesday, almost two years after approving the new Migration, Citizenship, and Foreigners Laws, the Government published them in the Official Gazette. This occurred on the same day that the state bulletin issued an additional, extraordinary edition to disseminate two decrees and a resolution activating a new immigration category that allows Cubans residing abroad to begin investing on the island immediately .

The regime has not explained its unusual delay in publishing an approved regulation, nor why Tuesday’s Gazette lists it as “given” on September 10, 2025. It does, however, explain in the preamble to today’s resolutions why these latter resolutions are not included in the laws approved on July 19, 2024: the general regulations—unlike the 1976 Migration Law, which, they clarify, is still in force—already contain the Investor and Business migration category, “but in its final provisions establishes a period of one hundred and eighty days after publication for its entry into force.”

The urgent need to attract foreign investment, therefore, clashes with the law’s entry into force in six months. Hence the extraordinary measures that, at the same time, implement the legal framework outlined in March by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, who stated in a television interview that the government would allow Cubans residing abroad to “participate in or own private companies” within the country.

This status is granted to citizens who “request it and participate in the Cuban economic model, in accordance with the established regulations.”

From now on, all Cuban passport holders living abroad who wish to do business in Cuba can apply for this option, called “investor and business status,” according to the brief decree-law issued this Tuesday, which takes effect upon publication. The regulation consists of just two articles, stating that this status is granted to citizens who “request it and participate in the Cuban economic model, in accordance with the established regulations.”

As the preamble also recalls, the 1976 Migration Law considered that any Cuban who remained outside the Island for 24 uninterrupted months lost their resident status and, with it, the rights derived from it – something that changes with the new migration law.

Given that Cuban citizens residing abroad are required to identify themselves in Cuba with their national passport and are not recognized as having foreign citizenship, they could not invest on the island under the foreign investment law. Their only option, until now, was to partner with a permanent resident. continue reading

The pandemic had jeopardized the deadline for Cubans living abroad to cease being considered residents, since, due to travel restrictions imposed by air travel closures during the coronavirus pandemic, many were unable to return to the island even if they wished to. In this context, the regime began suspending these time limits and drafting a new Immigration Law, which was approved in July 2024. This law stipulates that Cubans residing abroad can retain ownership of their properties on the island, even if they have been away for more than two years, and that those who spend more than 24 consecutive months without returning to Cuba are no longer considered “emigrants.”

The extraordinary ‘Gazette’ finally includes a Resolution from the Ministry of Finance and Prices to establish the fee to be paid for the issuance of the new status, which is set at 3,500 pesos.

“It is the will of the Cuban State –says the Decree-Law of the Extraordinary Gazette– to implement the measures approved by the Government of the Republic of Cuba and to offer the necessary legal security to Cuban citizens residing abroad who show their interest in participating in the national economy, for which reason it is necessary to institute the migratory status of Investors and Businesses that supports said decision, until the aforementioned Law 171 comes into force.”

This decree is accompanied by another that regulates the procedure and explains that the application can be submitted at any embassy or consulate abroad, as well as at the offices of the Ministry of the Interior if submitted from Cuba. The application must be submitted in writing along with a letter of support from the organization or company located on the island with which the applicant wishes to do business.

Within a maximum of three days, immigration authorities must receive the documentation and have one month to resolve and notify the applicant of the granting—or denial—of their new immigration status. “Cuban citizens with the Investor and Business immigration status, with respect to the exercise of their rights, are treated the same as Cuban citizens residing in the national territory, while they are in the Republic of Cuba and hold this immigration status,” the decree specifies, also effective immediately.

Finally, the extraordinary Gazette includes a Resolution from the Ministry of Finance and Prices to establish the fee to be paid for the issuance of the new status, which is set at 3,500 pesos*.

The measure announced in March by Pérez-Oliva Fraga was part of a context of negotiations—then just a rumor—with the U.S. government, two months after its intervention in Venezuela. The scope of these talks to facilitate economic liberalization, later confirmed by both sides, remains unknown, as leaks about meetings and potential agreements constantly alternate with threatening messages.

Despite the new offers from the Cuban regime, very few residents abroad have shown interest.

The US president said last Friday that he could “take over” Cuba almost immediately, just hours after new sanctions were announced against individuals or entities abroad that contribute to the Cuban state’s profits. Although Cuban authorities reacted with immediate fury and renewed their promise to fight back, some voices in Washington maintain that Marco Rubio is leading the task and favors agreements, not intervention.

Despite the new offers from the Cuban regime, very few of the residents abroad have shown any desire to leave – especially at this time of uncertainty – given the lack of legal security and guarantees, as well as the unease they feel at the idea of being asked for help after decades of insults.

Things have changed, in any case, since the National Assembly of People’s Power approved the package of laws on Migration, Citizenship, and Foreigners almost two years ago. At the time, a high-ranking official from the Ministry of the Interior presented them to Parliament as a method to control the “Cuban migration process,” a euphemism for the exodus from the island in recent years.

The new regulations, authorities also said, aim to “design procedures” for Cubans leaving the island and also to control the “increase in the number and diversity of migratory irregularities involving foreigners.”

The Citizenship Law states that “enlisting in any type of armed organization with the objective of attacking the territorial integrity of the State” will result in the loss of nationality

In addition to the substantial changes to the Migration Law regarding Cubans abroad, the Citizenship Law states that “enlisting in any type of armed organization with the objective of threatening the territorial integrity of the Cuban State” will result in the loss of nationality. Furthermore, the document allows for the possibility of a Cuban citizen holding multiple citizenships—already recognized by the 2019 Constitution—provided they do not use their foreign citizenship while in Cuba. Méndez noted that Cuban citizenship can be acquired by birth or naturalization.

Regarding the renunciation of citizenship, only those over 18 years of age who live abroad and can prove they hold another citizenship are eligible. Those who owe money to the Cuban state or are being “persecuted for committing a crime” are not eligible. Several NGOs and human rights advocates have warned about the potential political use of denationalization in Cuba, citing Nicaragua as a recent example.

Regarding the Immigration Law, applicable to all foreigners who are –temporarily or permanently – on the Island, including diplomats, it proposes to “regulate the care, protection and documentation of foreigners who settle in national territory.”

Foreigners will be able to reside in Cuba as “provisional residents,” a new category that represents a prelude to permanent residence or that of “humanitarian resident,” for “refugees, stateless persons and political asylees” that the Government considers as such.

“The exercise of the rights of foreigners in Cuba is only limited by the rights of others, for reasons of national defense and security, public order, health, exceptional situations and disasters, and by force majeure, with prior approval from the competent authorities,” the document warns, regarding the “conduct of respect” to the regime that foreigners must maintain.

*Translator’s note: Roughly $145 US at today’s exchange rates.

______________________

Cuban Artist Tania Bruguera Gives a Microphone to New York and Warns of “Freedom of Expression in Danger”

“This work had such great significance in Cuba in 2009, and unfortunately, the conditions of censorship are repeated throughout time and the world.”

“We are in a time of rising autocracies and dictatorships worldwide,” the artist stated. / EFE / Screenshot

EFE/Nora Quintanilla (via 14ymedio), New York, May 2, 2026 / Above the hustle and bustle of Times Square, words against authoritarianism, labor exploitation and the mistreatment of immigrants were heard this Friday from an ephemeral stage, the work of Cuban artist Tania Bruguera, who warned EFE of a “freedom of expression in danger.”

Bruguera (b. Havana, 1968) performed at the most famous intersection in the United States a variation of her performance Tatlin’s Whisper #6, in which she offers a platform and a microphone to anyone, on the occasion of May 1st, International Workers’ Day, at a time that worries her.

“This work had such great significance in Cuba in 2009, and unfortunately the conditions of censorship are repeated throughout time and the world,” explained the artist, whose work caused great controversy at the Havana Biennial, where blogger Yoani Sánchez, among other participants, demanded freedom and democracy.

“We are in a time of the rise of autocracies and dictatorships in the world, not only in the United States, where freedom of expression is in danger,” said Bruguera, who observed a rather subdued audience and closed the event by exclaiming “Down with the dictatorship in Cuba.”

Each participant who dared to take the stage received a white dove and could speak for one minute, flanked by two imposing security agents, dressed in black and wearing sunglasses, who, when the time was up, placed their hand on their shoulder in a threatening manner.

Bruguera said she heard someone censoring themselves because the event would be broadcast online.

Throughout the hour-long performance, there were silences in which no one took the microphone, but most respected the times and ways to make complaints of all kinds, although one man went up twice and continued speaking, defiantly in front of his guards, about “the power of the people.”

Another man took the opportunity to promote a Spanish-language comedy event at the World Cup, another sang ” We Shall Overcome” with a guitar, another lamented the persecution of the LGBT community and proclaimed “Free Palestine,” and a woman defended the labor movement and human empathy.

Bruguera said she heard someone self-censor because the event would be broadcast online, and acknowledged that people are “very aware that the internet is a storehouse that always exists and that they can twist things whenever they want,” but reaffirmed the power of speaking out.

She compared the situation to that of Cuba, where recently “a person who wasn’t even a dissident, just a normal person who went out with a sign that said ‘freedom,’ was imprisoned,” and stressed that “art helps to prevent, to make us think before things have happened and become final.”

Sin pelos en la lengua — without mincing words — this artist, famous for her social interventions and as a professor and head of media and performance at Harvard University, also reflected on what it is like to be part of the Cuban community in exile, emphasizing that “the regime is not the people.”

For Bruguera, Cuba is in a “tense moment where people have placed a lot of hope,” because, she maintained, Cuban civil society “is more than prepared to lead that country.”

“It is a distinction that must be made in order to be fair to the entire struggle and the voice of a people who are not heard,” she said, pointing to the protests on social media and in the streets against the propaganda, with mothers who face “empty refrigerators” and remembering their “minor children imprisoned.”

For Bruguera, Cuba is in a “tense moment where people have placed a lot of hope,” because, she argued, Cuban civil society “is more than prepared to lead that country” and make changes, including the thousands of qualified Cubans and workers who are around the world.

“They can return to Cuba and build a Cuba that will definitely be better, because anything they do will be better than the garbage they are doing now, the Cuban regime, which is starving the people to death,” she added.

The initiative was coordinated by Times Square Arts, which manages public art in the square, and Fall of Freedom, an entity that has organized some 300 cultural activities, from museums to theaters and concert halls, to “unite in defiance of the authoritarian forces that are sweeping” the US.

The writer Laura Raicovich, one of the creators of Fall of Freedom, considered Bruguera’s work important today, when “people in the US and around the world are looking for those in power to understand that that power really resides in us, the workers, the ordinary people who do ordinary things.”

______________________

Cuba and the Night: In Praise of Daring

Amelia Calzadilla achieved something difficult: connecting with real Cubans, with ordinary people, exhausted by blackouts, shortages, abuses, lies, and fear.

It is unfair to demand from every opponent the perfection that the dictatorial machinery itself prevented us from achieving. / Facebook / Amelia Calzadilla

14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, May 2, 2026 / One of the most common sports among Cubans is public shaming. I’m not talking about honest, necessary, even harsh criticism. I’m talking about that emotional machinery that kicks in against anyone who dares to step forward. The moment someone tries to organize an idea, propose a path, found a project, or take on a responsibility, the stones appear.

Some of these attacks, of course, come from the apparatus of the dictatorship. We know how they operate. They have resources, agents, smear campaigns, fake accounts, television programs, and spokespeople trained to destroy reputations. But not all the stones come from there. Some are born from ourselves, from our wounds, our frustration, from that anthropological damage left by decades of living under a system that rewards obedience and punishes initiative.

One doesn’t have to agree with every project to recognize the value of boldness. Nor do you have to applaud everything, suspend critical judgment, or make anyone untouchable. We’ve already suffered enough from absolute rule. And a democracy isn’t built by replacing one altar with another. But neither is it achieved by demolishing every leader at their founding moment, before they can breathe, make mistakes, correct themselves, and mature.

We want one person to carry the shortcomings of an entire nation on their shoulders.

No opposition leader emerges fully formed. That is a dangerous fantasy. Political maturity is a complex process, especially for those of us who come from authoritarian backgrounds. In a free society, people can join parties, debate platforms, lose internal elections, learn from campaigns, study others’ experiences, and train themselves in the exercise of citizenship. In Cuba, on the other hand, real politics has been hijacked for more than six decades by a single group in power. We were educated to repeat their slogans, not to deliberate. We were conditioned to in-or-out, and were never allowed to organize ourselves. We were taught to distrust everyone, not to build public trust.

That is why it’s unfair to demand from each new opposition figure the perfection that the dictatorial machinery itself prevented us from developing. We expect impeccable biographies, carefully crafted programs, perfect teams, flawless language, a heroic past, academic preparation, popular appeal, serenity, audacity, humility, charisma, strategy, and immediate results. We want one person to shoulder the shortcomings continue reading

of an entire nation. And when they can’t, we accuse them of being unprepared, ambitious, naive, or worse, a product manufactured by the regime itself.

Perfect leadership only exists in retrospect. They are a dubious construct of time. After victory, history smooths over contradictions, polishes doubts, erases blunders, organizes the narrative, and presents as destiny what was often trial and error, chance, mistakes, persistence, and learning. But in real life, leadership is born chaotic. It contradicts itself. It changes tone. It makes mistakes. The consolidation of ideas almost never happens in a straight line. It happens amidst noise, pressure, exhaustion, urgency, and also human vanity, because no leader is made of marble.

Amelia Calzadilla doesn’t have to be to everyone’s taste. Her political project can and should be discussed. Her ideas should be examined. Her party, like any other, will have to demonstrate whether it has structure, a platform, a vision, a team, and the ability to coordinate with other efforts. No one is obligated to follow her blindly. But it would be unfair not to acknowledge some of her merits.

Willpower, in exile, is no small thing. Exile wears you down. It disrupts your life. It forces you to start over.

Amelia achieved something difficult: connecting with real Cubans, with ordinary people, exhausted by blackouts, shortages, abuses, lies, and fear. Her voice emerged from a concrete, everyday, and relatable discontent. And that authenticity allowed her to reach many. Not all opposition figures achieve that. Some have a track record, but they don’t connect. Others have intellectual preparation, but they aren’t known outside certain circles. Amelia, with her successes and her limitations—like everyone—has demonstrated communication skills, social awareness, and a will that shouldn’t be underestimated.

Willpower in exile is no small thing. Exile is exhausting. It disrupts life. It forces you to start over. It brings hardship, grief, guilt, loneliness, bureaucracy, low-paying jobs, homesickness, attacks, and suspicion. Many arrive with a desire to act and end up crushed by the routine of survival. Maintaining political intent amidst these ups and downs requires considerable energy. That a young woman, a mother, in exile, decides not to limit herself to denouncing injustice, but to attempt to build a political platform, deserves at least our respect.

This isn’t about declaring her project infallible. It isn’t. No human project is. It is about understanding that pluralism can’t just be a pretty word to use against dictatorship. It has to be practiced among ourselves as well. Pluralism means accepting that parties, movements, platforms, leaders, and proposals will emerge that don’t fully align with our expectations. It means discussing without annihilating. Questioning without humiliating. Recognizing risks without turning disagreement into a moral condemnation.

Cuban democracy, if it ever arrives, will need more than slogans against the Communist Party. It will need a different political culture. And that culture cannot be improvised after the fall of the regime; it must be practiced now. Every time we respond to the emergence of an initiative with mockery, automatic suspicion, or public condemnation, we reproduce a part of the authoritarian country we claim to want to overcome.

Criticism is essential, but spite does not build. High standards are healthy, but paralyzing perfectionism can be another form of sterility. We have been waiting too long for the ideal leader, the definitive project, the figure capable of single-handedly toppling a military regime that has been in power for over six decades. Perhaps that waiting is also a trap. Perhaps the solution lies not in finding the perfect leader, but in allowing many imperfect leaders to emerge, compete, collaborate, fail, learn, and try again.

______________________

Russian Tourists are Replacing Cuba with Egypt, Vietnam and China

There were 184,800 visitors to the island in 2023, but the suspension of flights meant that only 249 travelers arrived on the island in March of this year.

The Russian government has not planned any measures to encourage Russians to continue traveling to Cuba. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, May 4, 2026 / “Cuba, which was among the 10 most searched destinations in 2025, practically disappeared from searches in 2026.” This stark statement appears in a report by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (Ator) in collaboration with Sletat, the leading travel and hotel search and booking service in the Eurasian giant. Just three days before the start of the Havana International Tourism Fair, FitCuba, the outlook couldn’t be worse for the island in one of its most important markets in recent years.

According to the report, the disappearance of Cuba and the United Arab Emirates from Russians’ favorite destinations is due to different reasons—the former due to flight suspensions, and the latter due to air travel closures caused by the war in Iran—but both have resulted in a complete shift in travelers’ preferences. Egypt, Vietnam, and China are the main beneficiaries of this situation, although a new destination has emerged nearby: Belarus, which appears for the first time in May 2026 as one of the ten most sought-after destinations.

The comparison was made using May 2025 as a reference point, when Cuba closed the top 10 preferences with 1.6%.

The comparison was made using May 2025 as a reference point, when Cuba closed out the top 10 preferences with 1.6%. Currently, the island is nowhere to be seen. Turkey remains at the top and is the main destination for Russians, accounting for a third of the demand (35.5%, almost the same as last year), followed by Egypt, which has grown substantially (from 20% to 26%), although it maintains its position. However, Vietnam is now third on the list, with 9.6%, whereas a year ago it was in seventh place with less than 3%, making it a surprise hit. continue reading

China is another country where the rise is noticeable, climbing from ninth place in 2025 to sixth, gaining three points to reach 5.5%. Along with Belarus—the neighboring country led by a Putin ally—the Maldives and Indonesia enter the top ten for the first time. And the small republic of Abkhaziaalong the Black Sea, Thailand, and Russia itself remain on the list of favorites.

Although Cuba has completely collapsed, with no flights and therefore a 0% market share, the declines are more pronounced for the other two countries dropping out of the top 10, as both had larger market shares. This is the case for Tunisia, which falls from 2.6% to 0.6%, and the United Arab Emirates, which was at 8.4%.

The analysis also includes the population’s desires, reflected in searches compared to actual purchase data. The case of Turkey is revealing, as customer interest exceeds final sales. Of the searches on the portal 43.2% focused on Turkish beaches, eleven percentage points higher than the actual number of purchases.

The uncertainty surrounding Russian tourism to Cuba is significant. Russia is the only country, along with Canada, that almost immediately suspended all flights to the island as soon as it became known that there was no fuel available at international airports to refuel aircraft. Airlines from other nations have maintained routes and sought alternatives, at least until the end of the high season—such as Iberia. But Rossiya, Nordwind, and the Canadian carriers Air Canada and Air Transat canceled their flights just hours after the Cuban aviation authorities issued their warning.

The Russians who were on the island at that time – February 10 – were evacuated on various ships until 4,300 tourists had left, out of a total of 7,314 that month. The result has been clear: in March, only 249 Russians traveled to Cuba.

Russia and Cuba worked very closely to foster the growth of the Eurasian country as a market for the island. During the years of the thaw with the US, beginning in 2015—the best for the sector in Cuba—the number of Russian tourists grew significantly, even doubling the figures from previous periods. Although in 2019 travelers from that country began to look for similar beaches but with better amenities in other Caribbean destinations, the pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine had the unexpected effect of boosting that flow.

Although in 2019 travelers from that country began to look for similar beaches but with better amenities in other Caribbean destinations, the pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine had the unexpected effect of favoring that flow

Havana once again saw Moscow’s isolation as an opportunity for growth, and through talks between the two governments that facilitated an increase in flights, Russian tourism became the panacea to offset the general decline in visitors. In 2023, the construction of a hotel specifically focused on Russian tourism was first discussed during a visit to Havana by Boris Titov, president of the Cuba-Russia Business Council and a trusted advisor to the Kremlin, during which several new business ventures between the two countries were announced, including the opening of a wholesale store.

That same year, 184,800 Russians arrived in Cuba, far fewer than the 936,000 Canadians, but Russians were the second most common nationality by origin—only Cuban-Americans surpassed Russians. The outlook was so promising that the Cuban Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda, promised 200,000 arrivals by 2024, but this figure was not reached, and the goal was postponed to 2025. Not only did this not happen, but the opposite occurred. Last year, only 131,900 Russians arrived on the island.

Moscow has repeatedly promised to support the regime in the face of increasing US pressure and, in fact, is the only country that has sent oil since the end of January. However, it has done nothing to continue flying to the island to provide some lifeline to a dying sector.

______________________

Old Age Without Rest at the La Micro Market in San José de las Lajas, Cuba

Elderly people sell nylon bags, guard their turns in line, and hope for opportunities in the doorways of this municipality in Mayabeque.

Every morning, retirees go to the La Micro market to try and make a living. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, San José de las Lajas (Mayabeque), May 3, 2026 / Under the peeling roof of the arcades at La Micro market in San José de las Lajas (Mayabeque), the morning unfolds with a leisurely pace that seems tailor-made for those who are no longer in a hurry, but neither are they restful. Seated on empty crates, on pieces of cardboard, or leaning against the peeling blue wall, several elderly men while away the time while they wait for a customer, an opportunity, or at least someone willing to offer them a cup of coffee. The market, which once bustled from early morning, is now more of an improvised refuge for retirees who have traded the tranquility of old age for the uncertainty of daily survival.

Away from the hustle and bustle of the town center, but within easy reach of those living in the microbrigade buildings, Rodrigo and his companions have found a fixed place in these doorways where they spend eight to nine hours a day. There they sell whatever they can get their hands on: plastic bags, recycled bottles, chili peppers, loose cigarettes, or any merchandise that can be exchanged for a few pesos. The scene repeats itself every morning. Some arrive before seven, shuffling along, carrying a worn-out bag or pushing a rusty wheelbarrow. Others appear later, when the sun has already warmed the cement and the shadows begin to dwindle.

Our presence here is an open secret. Everyone knows it, but they leave us alone so we can ‘escape’ however we can.

“Here, we’re not trying to avoid the inspectors, just pretending. This isn’t about getting rich,” Rodrigo says, carefully checking the contents of a plastic crate where he keeps his merchandise. His voice is measured, as if weighing each word. “We have plastic bags for 20 pesos and jars of chili peppers for 120. I keep the cheap cigarettes hidden, because if they catch me selling the cartons for 340 pesos, I could be in trouble.” Around him, other men nod silently, used to this tightrope walk between necessity and illegality. “Our presence here is an open secret. Everyone knows it, but they leave us alone so we can slip away however we can. That’s how the system works: on one side, they tighten the gasket, and on the other, they release pressure so it doesn’t explode,” he adds.

At the La Micro market it has been more than a month since anything for the regular ‘family basket’ has arrived / 14ymedio

A few meters away, a dog stretches out on a piece of cardboard, indifferent to the comings and goings of people. The animal seems like just another resident of the doorway, another survivor of the daily grind. Nearby, Andrés intently watches the street, alert to any movement. For decades he worked continue reading

as a locksmith in a state-run workshop and still keeps a master key, which he guards like a talisman. “People come to us to take out their trash, unclog a drain, or, in my case, to open their front door,” he explains, proud of the skills that allowed him to earn a living for years.

“We have a single checkbook worth 3,000 pesos. We are diabetic and are not on any social security benefits list.”

The market popularly known as La Micro hasn’t received any food rations for over a month. The empty stalls and dusty shelves are the best testament to this neglect. “A clerk told me they’re going to start giving out two pounds of rice to vulnerable people tomorrow,” Rodrigo says, shrugging his shoulders. “Of course, that concept of ‘vulnerable’ is convenient for the government. My wife and I live alone in a crumbling tile house. We have a single checkbook worth 3,000 pesos. We’re diabetic and we’re not on any social security coverage list.”

As he speaks, the old man nods his chin toward the street, where another man is slowly pushing a wheelbarrow loaded with crushed cans and dirty sacks. The effort is evident in the stoop of his back and the sweat trickling down his forehead. Each step seems like a battle against exhaustion. Behind him, a little girl pedals a small bicycle, oblivious to the scene, as if time had two different speeds in that very place: one for the old who endure and another for the children who still play.

As if time had two different speeds in that same place: one for the old who endure and another for the children who still play. / 14ymedio

As former day laborers, the elderly men gather every morning at their “command post,” as they call it, to try and make a living. Sitting on the ground, they share stories of times when work was hard but secure; they complain about current needs and remain alert for any opportunity to earn a few pesos. When someone appears seeking help carrying a sack, cleaning a yard, or holding a place in line, the group springs into action immediately.

According to Andrés, when liquefied gas is available in the area, business is usually a little better. “It’s true that we go two or three nights without sleep, but we pocket 1,000 pesos for each person who requests our gas cylinder delivery service,” he says. “We divide the numbers among ourselves so that everyone wins. The problem is that there’s almost never any gas, and while the gas is coming and going, we struggle to make three or four pesos, which isn’t enough for anything.”

My father taught me that things don’t fall from the sky and that, being a poor black man, I would have to work very hard so I wouldn’t go to bed on an empty stomach.

The hours in the market’s doorways drag on with agonizing slowness. Sometimes they share a sliver of stale bread to stave off hunger; other times, a shot of rum that appears suddenly, passed from hand to hand. Conversation is punctuated by long silences, vacant stares, and resigned sighs.

“My father taught me that things don’t fall from the sky and that, being a poor Black man, I’d have to work very hard to avoid going to bed hungry,” says Andrés, his gaze fixed on the horizon. “At 72 years old, I’ve chosen not to give up. As long as I have a master key and my hands still work, I’ll keep opening doors and selling whatever needs selling.”

_____________________

April Rumors in Cuba: Drones, Resignations, and Secret Negotiations

The streets and WhatsApp groups were filled with stories about invasions, power shifts, and military maneuvers.

Esteban Lazo, president of the National Assembly of People’s Power and the Council of State, with Ambassador Vitali Borchuk and other Belarusian officials in Havana. / X/@AsambleaCuba

14ymedio, Havana, May 4, 2026 / April hasn’t been a month of abundant rain or good news, but it has been full of rumors that have spread like wildfire on street corners, in doorways, and especially in WhatsApp groups, where each audio message is listened to with the solemnity of an official statement. In a country where information trickles out and silences weigh more than speeches, rumors remain a way to interpret reality, anticipate disaster, or imagine a way out.

This fourth month of the year has been marked by stories that mix politics, war, palace intrigues and military technology, an explosive combination that reveals both the anxiety of Cubans and their inexhaustible creativity to fill the information gaps.

The most persistent of the gossip has been the supposed resignation letter of Miguel Díaz-Canel, a document that, according to those who claim to have seen it “from the inside,” was addressed to Raúl Castro and contained a confession of errors and failures. The letter, which no one has been able to produce but which many say they read on a friend of a cousin’s phone, has circulated in increasingly elaborate versions. In some, the president apologizes for the economic crisis; in others, he acknowledges the government’s inability to stop the mass exodus and the endless blackouts. As with tall tales, each storyteller adds a new detail until the story becomes larger than life.

In recent days, Cubans have become experts at interpreting radars, satellite maps, and applications that track flights and shipping

Another inexhaustible source of speculation has been the skies and waters surrounding the island. In recent days, Cubans have become experts at interpreting radar, satellite maps, and applications that track flights and shipping. Any aircraft that appears on a cell phone screen unleashes a chain of alarmist messages: “That’s not a commercial flight,” someone warns. “It’s a military drone,” another replies. The possibility of U.S. ships, submarines, or aircraft approaching Cuban shores has fueled the fantasy of an imminent invasion. In lines for bread or fuel, there are always those who insist that “this time they’re serious.”

In this climate of collective nervousness, the name of Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as “El Cangrejo” (The Crab ), has once again become a topic of informal headlines and dinner table conversations. According to the most recent rumors, Raúl Castro’s grandson has become the main interlocutor in the negotiations with the United States, a story that has grown amid leaks and anonymous comments. The narrative includes continue reading

mysterious intermediaries, discreet trips, and promises of agreements that never materialize. For many, the plot has the allure of a spy novel; for others, it is simply a reflection of the desperate need to believe that the country’s course will soon change.

War paranoia has also been fueled by the claim that the Cuban government has gone to Belarus in search of weapons and military technology to counter a potential US attack. This rumor has been repeatedly circulated on social media and in private conversations, accompanied by images of tanks and missiles that appear without context or date.

April has also brought rumors of imminent changes at the top of the power structure. According to some reports, Díaz-Canel’s replacement is being prepared, along with the start of a smear campaign to justify his departure. In this scenario, Sandro Castro’s recent interview with an international media outlet would have been part of a carefully calculated strategy to weaken the president’s image. The hypothesis sounds like the plot of a political soap opera, but it has found fertile ground in a population accustomed to interpreting every public gesture as a sign of conspiracy.

In a country where reality often surpasses imagination, rumors are not just stories whispered in someone’s ear: they are the reflection of a society trying to decipher its own destiny while patiently and skeptically awaiting the next news item that will confirm or deny what everyone already suspects.

______________________