Russian oil tanker arrives in Cuba as Moscow vows to stand by Havana

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Briefing Summary

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In March 2026, a Russian oil tanker, the Anatoly Kolodkin, arrived in Cuba carrying 100,000 tonnes of crude oil. This shipment comes after Cuba experienced a three-month period without oil deliveries, leading to widespread blackouts and a health crisis. Russia stated its commitment to supporting Cuba, citing the island's desperate situation due to a US blockade. The US had previously cut off Venezuela's oil exports to Cuba and threatened tariffs on other countries supplying crude. Despite US concerns raised during talks, Russia affirmed its duty to assist its "friends" and indicated further shipments may follow. The tanker departed from Russia's Baltic Sea port of Primorsk earlier in March.

Confidence 0.90Sources 3Claims 5Entities 12

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Article analysis

Model · rule-based

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Key claims

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In the desperate situation that Cubans now find themselves in, this, of course, cannot leave us indifferent, so we will continue to work on this.

quoteKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov

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Cuba became dependent on the Soviet Union for oil after its communist revolution in 1959.

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Cuba has not received an oil tanker in three months.

factualPresident Miguel Diaz-Canel

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An oil tanker carrying 100,000 tonnes of crude oil had arrived in Cuba.

factualRussia's transport ministry

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The US cut off Venezuela’s oil exports to Cuba after toppling Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3.

factualArticle

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Full report

2 min read · 332 words

Cuba became dependent on the Soviet Union for oil after its communist revolution ⁠in 19591-MIN READ1-MIN2 ListenPublished: 6:58pm, 30 Mar 2026Russia said on Monday that an oil tanker carrying ‌100,000 tonnes of crude oil had arrived in Cuba and that Moscow would stand by its friends by working on further supplies despite a US blockade of the Communist-run island.The US cut off Venezuela’s oil exports to Cuba after toppling Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, and US President Donald Trump threatened to slap punishing ⁠tariffs on any other country that sent crude to Cuba. But Trump on Sunday signalled he ‌was reversing course and expressed sympathy for the Cuban people’s need for energy.The Anatoly Kolodkin was waiting to offload at the port of Matanzas, ‌Russia’s transport ministry said. The Kremlin said it had raised the issue of ⁠the tanker during talks ⁠with the US but that Russia felt it had a duty to support “friends” in Cuba. “This issue was indeed raised ‌in advance during contacts with our American partners,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.00:58Trump vows to ‘take’ Cuba as island reels from total power cut linked to oil embargoTrump vows to ‘take’ Cuba as island reels from total power cut linked to oil embargoCuba has not received an oil tanker ‌in three ‌months, according to President Miguel Diaz-Canel, and its energy crisis has caused blackouts across the ‌country of 10 million.Health officials say the crisis has increased the mortality risk for cancer ⁠patients, especially children. Cuba became dependent on the Soviet Union for oil after its communist revolution ⁠in 1959, and needs imported fuel oil and diesel to generate power.Asked if further Russian shipments would follow, Peskov said: “In the desperate situation that Cubans now find themselves ‌in, this, of course, ‌cannot leave us indifferent, so we will continue to work on this.”LSEG ship-tracking data showed the Russian tanker had left the Russian Baltic Sea port of Primorsk on March 8 and was now moving along Cuba’s northern shore.

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