April 2 (UPI) -- A shipment of Russian crude delivered to Cuba is expected to sustain the island's electricity system and key economic activities for about 10 days, officials from the Ministry of Energy and Mines told the Cuban News Agency.
The tanker Anatoly Kolodkin, described as part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet and sanctioned by the United States and the European Union, began to unload Tuesday at the port of Matanzas in western Cuba. It carried some 740,000 barrels of crude.
State-owned company Cuba Petróleo, known as CUPET, said the fuel will be refined domestically to produce diesel, fuel oil, liquefied petroleum gas and gasoline.
In a social media post, CUPET described the shipment as "solidarity support from the brotherly government and people of Russia" and said the 100,000 metric tons of crude would provide relief amid Cuba's ongoing electricity crisis.
:anchor::ru: La ayuda solidaria del hermano gobierno y pueblo de #Rusia ya está en puerto cubano. Son 100 000 toneladas métricas de crudo que serán refinadas y que representan un alivio ante la compleja situación electroenergética que vive la nación. #Cuba pic.twitter.com/eiMjXquY0U— CUPET (@Cubapetroleo1) March 31, 2026
