Turmoil in Cuba

[Ravenlocke]

dana reposted

Sony Thăng

Cuba is not a "disaster" because Cubans are incompetent.

Cuba is a poor country that has survived 60+ years of blockade from the richest empire on earth.

You call them "incompetent people" while ignoring that Washington has tried, every single decade, to strangle their economy, sabotage their development, and punish any country that trades with them.

The miracle is not that Cuba is poor.

The miracle is that after Bay of Pigs, assassination attempts, terrorism, sanctions, and embargoes, Cuba still has doctors, schools, and a state that never once knelt and begged for U.S. permission to exist.

If Cuba is "destroyed," what do you call a country that spends trillions on wars and still can’t give its people free healthcare, affordable housing, or debt-free education?

You look at a nation that has been economically suffocated for generations and blame the victim’s "incompetence."

I look at the same island and see something else:

A small country that refused to sell its sovereignty, and is still being punished for the crime of not wanting to be someone else’s plantation.

@marcorubio

@SecRubio

https://x.com/nxt888/status/2002345254624907741

[sdv]

Ravenlocke ... and Cuba, embattled and oppressed by America, does give its citizens free healthcare, affordable housing, debt-free education at all levels, without ramping up trillions in national debt. How come Cuba can do that but America, that is convinced of its own superiority and greatness, cannot?

Americans have been conned into believing that free healthcare, affordable housing and transport, free health care are a 'communist' threat (or even worse ... socialism, which does not work and is so evil!). It is the elite wealthy and political class that are threatened by what many countries, who are not communist or socialist, accept as basic human rights.

Cuba is changing. It was never actually a communist country, but it is moving towards allowing some measure of private business ownership, rather than moving toward communism (for Marx, communism is the end goal of socialism). I think for now it covers running a small restaurant from your home, or renting out a room in your home for visitors to the country.

[Vicus]

Mexico Continues Supplying Oil to Cuba Despite U.S. Warnings -today

The country became a key fuel supplier to the Caribbean island amid the Cuban economic and energy crisis.

On Monday, United States Energy Secretary Chris Wright confirmed that Mexico will continue supplying oil to Cuba despite warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Following the U.S. attacks on Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro, Mexico became a key fuel supplier to the Caribbean island, amid the Cuban economic and energy crisis.

Wright stated that Washington is “not seeking to provoke the collapse of the Cuban government,” but rather to “negotiate” with Havana to abandon its communist system. However, Trump had reiterated that “there will be no more oil or money” for Cuba.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel responded that bilateral relations must be based on international law, not on hostility, threats, or economic coercion. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that if both parties agree, Mexico could mediate in a potential dialogue between the U.S. and Cuba.

She clarified that her recent conversation with Trump did not address the issue of Cuba or oil shipments, although Sheinbaum acknowledged that it could be discussed in future bilateral meetings. She noted that oil supply to Cuba is carried out within a legal framework, as an exercise of humanitarian principles.

She added that Mexico has sufficient energy resources to cover its domestic needs and maintain its support for the island, dismissing concerns among the Mexican population regarding this international commitment.

The Mexican president pointed out that oil supply aid to Cuba is of a historical nature and has been supported by different administrations, regardless of political affiliation.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/mexic...-u-s-warnings/

[Ravenlocke]

COMBATE |🇵🇷

Jan 16
"To die for the homeland is to live"

Cuba bids farewell to its 32 martyrs

https://x.com/upholdreality/status/2012196058189758639

https://x.com/upholdreality/status/2011793049970459013

[Ravenlocke]

COMBATE |🇵🇷

30,000 tons donation of Chinese rice arrives in Cuba, a country the US has tried to starve for 65 years

https://x.com/upholdreality/status/2013375498408054847

[Ravenlocke]

COMBATE |🇵🇷

This is one of my favorite forms of American self-delusion. "No one other than the US observes the Cuba sanctions."

Société Générale was fined $1.34 billion for processing $5.5 billion in Cuba-related payments.

ING was fined $619 million for Cuba wire transfers.

European banks have been hit with 83% of all US sanctions fines.

They "observe" because the alternative is financial annihilation.

If a foreign bank defies OFAC, the US Treasury can cut off their access to the US clearing system entirely.

For a global bank, losing the ability to clear dollar transactions is a corporate death sentence.

They would cease to function overnight.

That's why they obey Washington over their own governments.

The EU has a blocking statute that makes it technically illegal for European companies to comply with US extraterritorial Cuba sanctions.

They comply anyway.

Then there's the "State Sponsor of Terrorism" designation, reinstated in 2021. This label is radioactive.

Over 100 foreign banks have terminated Cuba relationships entirely since then.

It triggers automatic "enhanced due diligence" protocols in every compliance department on earth, making a $500 remittance to someone's aunt look like terrorist financing to the algorithm.

88% of global forex transactions touch the dollar.

Every dollar payment clears through New York. Touch the dollar, obey OFAC.

The US also weaponizes supply chain dominance.

For most countries, foreign products can contain up to 25% US content before Washington cares.

For Cuba, the threshold is 10%.

A Swedish ventilator with US microchips cannot be sold to a Havana hospital without a Commerce Department license.

Since 2019, Title III of Helms-Burton allows US citizens to sue foreign companies in American courts for operating on land nationalized 60 years ago.

A Spanish hotel chain can be dragged before a judge in Miami for running a resort in Varadero. Foreign investment freezes.

Over 160 countries vote against this blockade at the UN every year. Their banks still refuse Cuba transactions, because the compliance industry runs on fear.

The blockade works precisely because other countries don't get a choice.

It's an extraterritorial financial empire.

https://x.com/upholdreality/status/2013413554796237046

[Ravenlocke]

MFA Russia 🇷🇺

🎙 Maria #Zakharova on media leaks regarding US plans to tighten the blockade of Cuba:

We hope that these reports are unfounded. Common sense must prevail in Washington.

✊ Our solidarity with Cuban people and the leadership of Cuba remains unwavering.

https://t.me/MFARussia/28157

https://x.com/mfa_russia/status/2016552581385146387

[Ravenlocke]

COMBATE |🇵🇷

A massive torch-lit youth march took place in Cuba yesterday in honor of José Martí and Fidel Castro

https://x.com/upholdreality/status/2016488980259151967

DD Geopolitics

🇺🇸 USA: Cuba is going to fall any day....

🇨🇺 Cuba yesterday in support of Fidel Casto, Jose Martí, and Cuban pride.

Patria o Muerte, Venceremos!!!

https://x.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/2016559777846026735

[Ravenlocke]

Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez

Translated from Spanish
The torches of the Centennial of #Martí and those of the Centennial of #Fidel bring warmth and light to the battle to conquer all justice. The harshness of the times and the brutality of the threats against #Cuba will not stop us. That challenge and our youth give us tremendous strength.

https://x.com/DiazCanelB/status/2016505341563818422

Sputnik Mundo

Translated from Spanish
🇨🇺 Havana pays tribute to José Martí with the Torchlight March

Hundreds of Cubans joined the traditional mobilization to commemorate the 173rd anniversary of the birth of this politician and thinker, considered a National Hero on the island.

This tradition began at midnight on January 27, 1953, to mark the birth of the so-called Apostle of Independence, and since then, it has been held annually as an act of dignity and political resistance.

✅ On this occasion, thousands of people gathered on the steps of the University of Havana holding torches in hand to march along San Lázaro Street, heading toward Fragua Martiana, which was declared a national monument in May 1998.

🔹 Through his X account, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel recalled that the figure of José Martí is a symbol of independence and "of Cuban anti-imperialism." Likewise, he noted that this Torchlight March will also be dedicated to commemorating the centenary of the birth of Fidel Castro, historic leader of the Cuban Revolution.

https://x.com/SputnikMundo/status/2016364168543134168

[Ravenlocke]

Disclose.tv

NEW - Trump signs executive order declaring a "national emergency" over Cuba, and will impose additional tariffs on countries supplying Cuba with oil.

https://x.com/disclosetv/status/2017022644722282551

[Ravenlocke]

Translated from Spanish
🇺🇸 Trump: "No, no es mi intención, pero parece que es algo que, simplemente, no va a poder sobrevivir. Creo que Cuba no podrá sobrevivir", dijo al ser preguntado si busca "ahogar" a la isla con la imposición de aranceles

🇺🇸 Trump: "No, it is not my intention, but it seems like something that, simply, will not be able to survive. I think Cuba will not be able to survive," he said when asked if he seeks to "strangle" the island by imposing tariffs.

https://x.com/ActualidadRT/status/2017041913720041603

[Ravenlocke]

Drop Site

🇨🇺 JUST IN | President Trump has signed a sweeping executive order declaring Cuba an "unusual and extraordinary threat" and authorizing broad new sanctions, including punishing foreign countries that sell oil to the island, even indirectly.

The move comes as the Financial Times reports Cuba has just 15–20 days of oil left, after US pressure helped halt Venezuelan shipments and Mexico’s Pemex suspended a delivery. The shortage has already fueled near-daily blackouts and fuel rationing. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that her government provides oil to Cuba via contracts with Pemex and via humanitarian aid mechanisms, the latter she said would continue.

The order tightens a blockade strategy that leverages economic collapse and humanitarian crisis under the guise of national security.

https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2017025377177129445

[sdv]

The Cuba Libre documentary in the first couple of episodes did a very good job of showing Cuban history pre 1959. The history of Cuba through the slave trade, the American occupation, the Great Depression and the 1950s. In these episodes I think it gave a balanced perspective showing the view points of Cubans from all sides of the political spectrum.

The way it depicted things post 1959 though was very bias. In those episodes it prioritised a very pro Miami, Pro Washington, Anti Castro perspective. This is especially the case in the episodes that deal with the 80s and 90s during Cuba's special period. It blames everything that went wrong on Castro and the Cuban military and fails to even talk about the massive impact the Cuban Embargo had on the Cuban economy. It talked about alleged Cuban interference in America's political system(American intelligence officer mentioning it) but failed to mention the multiple cases of U.S efforts to destabilise Cuba.

Most importantly in the Castro episodes it failed to show the international perspective on Castro and focused exclusively on the American and Miami perspective. It just mentioned brief Cuba's involvement in Angola, and failed to go any deeper into that and Cuba's major contribution to the fight against Apartheid. It did not show how world leaders from the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa such as Nelson Mandela viewed Cuba and how Cuba and Castro were incredibly popular in most of the developing world for their struggle against Apartheid and Medical Internationalism.

So all in all, I think about the first 6 episodes was well researched, well done, and then after that things started to go down hill a little
(Review for a Reddit thread of this documentary, which is no longer available)


Cuba is not a threat to the USA. Why is Trump gaslighting us and insisting it is, and now actively is choosing to destroy and take over the country? What does the USA plan to do with Cuba? (It already has Guantanamo Bay there, a place where it illegally imprisons and tortures people.) Is Trump simply appeasing his Cuban supporters in Florida?

[sdv]

Cuba and the Cameraman (documentary on Netflix)
Life in Cuba over the course of 45 years, from the cautious optimism of the early 1970s to the harrowing 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union and the 2016 death of Fidel Castro. The focus is on three families and their growth and struggle. (The cameraman visits Cuba every 5 years.)

It really is delightful. The cameraman befriends Castro and shows a personal side to him. He gets permission to visit Castro in his dying days and is the last person to take photographs of him. The documentary is personal rather than political, although politics is and always has been a part of life in Cuba.

One of the many things that struck me was how Cuba is an automobile culture, like the USA. They love their cars! If ever a country was in need of electric vehicles to reduce the dependency on oil, it is Cuba!

For those who do not know, people in Cuba get free housing if they cannot afford to pay rent, free medical care, free education ...

[Ravenlocke]

Dr Parveen Yograj

Replying to
@forallcurious
𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝘂𝗯𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲
Yes, it's true that doctors and researchers in Cuba have developed a lung cancer vaccine—specifically, the therapeutic vaccine known as CIMAvax-EGF (often called Cimavax).
This immunotherapy was developed by the Center for Molecular Immunology (CIM) in Havana, Cuba. It targets non-small cell lung cancer (the most common type) by stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies against epidermal growth factor (EGF), a protein that helps cancer cells grow. The vaccine doesn't prevent lung cancer in healthy people (it's not a preventive vaccine like those for viruses); instead, it's a treatment for advanced stages (IIIB/IV) to help control the disease, extend survival, and improve quality of life, often as maintenance therapy after chemotherapy.
Key facts: It has been in use in Cuba since around 2011, approved there for adult patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
Clinical trials (including Phase III and IV) in Cuba showed it to be safe with minimal side effects, and it extended survival in many patients (e.g., some studies reported months to years longer survival compared to standard care alone, especially in younger patients).
It's approved in several countries (e.g., Cuba, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Paraguay).
Thousands of patients have received it worldwide (over 5,000 reported in earlier data), including in Cuba where it's provided free or at very low cost.
In the US, it's not yet fully approved by the FDA for general use, but Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York has conducted clinical trials (starting around 2016–2017) through a historic US-Cuba collaboration, and it's available to eligible patients in those trials. Ongoing research explores combinations with other immunotherapies and preventive potential in high-risk groups.
Recent updates (as of 2025–2026) show continued interest, including real-world use studies confirming safety and effectiveness, joint ventures (e.g., with Russia), and availability for medical tourism in Cuba for lung and other cancers.
Claims sometimes exaggerate it as a "cure" or universal preventive—it's not—but the core statement that Cuban doctors/researchers developed a lung cancer vaccine is accurate and well-documented in scientific literature, clinical trials, and partnerships like with Roswell Park.
#MedTwitter #MedEd #MedX #cancercure #CancerAwareness #cancerresearch
@IhabFathiSulima

@drkeithsiau

@DrAkhilX

@drabdulhameed07


https://x.com/ParveenYograj/status/2020568931627672058

☀️👀

Cuba invented a vaccine for lung cancer and Americans have to violate multiple laws and risk imprisonment to obtain it. Ritchie Torres fully supports the embargo on Cuba. That's not hypothetical, that's real. He's just throwing out the most insane propaganda to try to launder his genocidal Zionism and AIPAC cuckery

https://x.com/zei_squirrel/status/1959339737464152158

Americans are breaking US law and facing imprisonment to go to Cuba for the cancer vaccine that saves their lives. 9/11 first responders cast away by the US system go to Cuba to receive high quality free healthcare: https://x.com/zei_squirrel/status/1866621048843641341

Depraved scum genocidal Zionists like Ritchie Torres see this actual real life mass murder of American citizens due to an embargo, and he gleefully supports it.

Then he turns around and conjures up a lunatic hypothetical to do an own on BDS. "ummm what if Israel invented a cancer cure though. ummmm"

These scum have zero shame.

look at the reaction of this 9/11 first responder, many of whom like her are from that Zionist **** Ritchie Torres' own district, when she finds out the life-saving medicine she needs is available at a fraction of the price in Cuba: https://x.com/zei_squirrel/status/1866621735036239980 Torres wants her to suffer and die. Not in a bull**** Zionist hypothetical fantasy world, but in reality, right now.

https://x.com/zei_squirrel/status/1959342288229838867

[Ravenlocke]

Sputnik Mundo

Translated from Spanish
🇲🇽🇨🇺 Two ships depart from Mexico carrying humanitarian aid destined for Cuba

📦 The Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE) of Mexico reported that the vessels Papaloapan and Isla Holbox set sail from the state of Veracruz with more than 814 tons of supplies intended for the civilian population of the largest of the Antilles.

🥫 The first vessel is transporting essential food items, including liquid milk, meat products, cookies, beans, rice, tuna in water, sardines and vegetable oil, as well as personal hygiene articles (approximately 536 tons in total). In the case of the Isla Holbox, just over 277 tons of powdered milk were loaded.

💬 "They are expected to arrive at their destination in four days. We inform you that more than 1,500 tons of powdered milk and beans remain pending to be sent," the Foreign Ministry stated in its communiqué.

https://x.com/SputnikMundo/status/2020622417530704069

[Ravenlocke]

CODEPINK

🇨🇺 The US is trying to starve 10 million Cubans.

We are bringing 2,500lbs of lentils to Cuba to break this criminal and genocidal blockade.

LIFT THE BLOCKADE ON CUBA NOW

https://x.com/codepink/status/2020561720893116856

[Vicus]

US offensive strangling Cuba: neo-Monroeism risks backfiring at home - Wednesday, February 4, 2026



As Trump escalates economic warfare against Cuba, the administration revives a familiar regime-change logic rooted in pressure and economic strangulation. History teaches that such strategies deepen suffering without guaranteeing regime collapse. The consequences may reverberate far beyond Havana, reshaping US relations across Latin America and ethnopolitical relations at home.

Uriel Araujo, Anthropology PhD, is a social scientist specializing in ethnic and religious conflicts, with extensive research on geopolitical dynamics and cultural interactions.

US President Donald Trump has just escalated Washington’s long-standing economic war against Cuba by declaring a “national emergency” (another one!) aimed at sanctioning and tariffing any country that supplies the island with oil. Mexico, potentially Cuba’s largest supplier after Venezuela’s operations were curtailed, has already temporarily suspended shipments. The goal is clear enough: to push the Cuban economy over the edge, generating social unrest, and thereby pushing regime change.

There has long been an American embargo but one should not presume this is merely a tightening of it; rather, it is an attempt at full-spectrum economic asphyxiation this time.

Havana has responded predictably: President Miguel Díaz-Canel rejected Trump’s threats to “make a deal before it is too late,” insisting that “no one tells us what to do,” while Cuban officials warn that a complete fuel cutoff would be catastrophic for infrastructure and basic services. Experts warn that this would amount to a real blockade, with tremendous humanitarian consequences.

This escalation is part of a broader pattern in Trump’s second presidency, with hawkish Marco Rubio as Secretary of State: I’ve been describing it since 2024 as neo-Monroeism. It marks a new stage in Washington’s continental security doctrine, blending counterterrorism rhetoric, narco-politics, and elastic justifications for power projection across Latin America and the Caribbean.


Thus far, naval buildups in the Caribbean, sanctions, and threats have been targeting Cuba, without signs of a plan to invade, but history suggests that intimidation often precedes escalation: we’ve seen this with Venezuela, recently, where there has been no occupation so far, but a military invasion to kidnap the President, and possible covert CIA and special forces presence/infiltration.

Cuba sits squarely within this New Cold War dynamic. Washington’s pressure campaign is unfolding against the backdrop of growing Chinese economic and technological engagement in the Caribbean, something I pointed out back in 2020. US dominance in the Caribbean had been near-total since 1898, and any erosion of that status is perceived in Washington as intolerable. From Washington’s perspective, strangling Cuba economically is also about signaling to Beijing that the Caribbean remains an American lake.

continue: https://infobrics.org/en/post/80823

[Ravenlocke]

Réseau International

Translated from French
Russia confirms its oil supply to Cuba despite threats from the United States

The Russian government confirmed on Thursday that it will continue to supply crude oil to Cuba, in a clear gesture of economic support in the face of the intensified illegal blockade by the United States.

#Cuba #blocus #ÉtatsUnis #Russie #pétrole


https://x.com/reseau_internat/status...72523182743988

[Vicus]

China Reaffirms Cuba Support Amid Power Outages

Beijing backs Havana against U.S. blockade, pledging aid within its capacities.

On Wednesday, China reiterated its political support for Cuba amid widespread power outages on the island and ongoing U.S. oil blockade.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing “firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security” and “resolutely opposes inhumane actions and behaviors that deprive the Cuban people of their right to subsistence and development.” Lin added that China “will provide support and assistance to Cuba within its capacities.”

When asked about possible concrete aid, including fuel supplies or financial support, Lin avoided detailing specific measures, noting that the content of any cooperation must be discussed with “the competent authorities” and handled “through bilateral channels.”

The remarks come as Cuba experiences generalized power outages linked to difficulties in its electricity system, and as Beijing renews calls for Washington to lift its 60-year blockade.

China has publicly urged the United States to “immediately end the blockade, sanctions and any form of coercive measures against Cuba.”

In recent weeks, the Chinese government announced shipments of food assistance, including a cargo of 90,000 tons of rice, along with an “emergency financial assistance” line worth US$80 million. In 2024, Beijing had already granted Cuba an additional US$100 million in aid.

Support was also reiterated at the diplomatic level during recent high-level meetings. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi voiced opposition to the “interference of external forces” during talks in Beijing with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

Rodriguez’s visit to the Chinese capital formed part of a broader tour aimed at securing backing from Havana’s traditional allies, as Cuba confronts economic and energy challenges intensified by the U.S. blockade.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/china...power-outages/