Recent maritime intelligence reports reveal that Russia is discreetly transporting oil to Cuba, employing cunning shipping methods to sidestep U.S. sanctions. This comes as Cuba faces significant fuel shortages and power disruptions.
One of these suspected oil shipments coincided with one of Cuba’s most severe energy crises. It preceded a power grid failure on March 16, which Cuban officials and the U.S. Embassy in Cuba reported left approximately 10 million residents without electricity.
According to Windward AI, a tanker registered under the Hong Kong flag, which is not under sanctions, appeared to manipulate its Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals. The data indicates that the vessel likely made its way to Cuba in early March to offload its oil cargo.
The Financial Times reported on March 18 that another tanker, flying the Russian flag and named Anatoly Kolodkin, was transporting crude oil and was anticipated to arrive in Cuba by April 4.
During a March 17 press briefing, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, as reported by The Moscow Times, expressed Russia’s willingness to offer any necessary support to Cuba.
Russia uses deceptive maritime tactics to bypass U.S. sanctions on struggling Cuba amid energy shortages (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
The alleged shipments came as senior officials at the State Department told Fox News that, under existing law, there are ways for Cuban companies and citizens to purchase oil, but said the Cuban regime is making that impossible.
The U.S. oil embargo prevents the Cuban regime from purchasing oil only, the official confirmed.
Windward AI first identified the tanker, Sea Horse, as the key vessel in the suspected clandestine oil delivery in its report on March 18.
The firm said the vessel was thought to have transported around 190,000 to 200,000 barrels to Cuba while engaging in behavior consistent with sanctions evasion. Although the vessel is not under sanctions, Windward analysts flagged several suspicious activities.
These included switching off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) during a ship-to-ship transfer near Cyprus — where it likely loaded its cargo — and sailing without Western insurance, both common indicators of sanctions circumvention.
The tanker also repeatedly altered its stated destination, initially signaling Havana before changing to “Gibraltar for orders,” a tactic often used to obscure final delivery points.
A tanker sailing under the flag of Cuba, arrives at the port of Havana on Feb. 9, 2026. (YAMIL LAGE / AFP via Getty Images)
After crossing the Atlantic, it appeared to drift while broadcasting that it was “not under command,” with analysts suggesting its AIS signals may have been manipulated to conceal its true location and activities.
These movements strongly indicate that the vessel may have completed an unreported delivery to Cuba before resuming normal transmissions.
Since Jan. 29, U.S. measures — effectively creating an oil blockade — have disrupted fuel shipments to the island.
The policy shift followed major changes in Venezuela and the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, further tightening supply to Cuba and discouraging other tankers from approaching its ports.
President Donald Trump had warned that countries supplying oil to Cuba could face tariffs, while Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the measures as an “economic war” and pledged continued resistance in a post shared on X.
“The only way for Cuba to fix its energy crisis is to address the root cause of its economic failures: total government control of economic life,” a U.S. official told Fox News on March 17.
People walk on the street during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, on Monday, March 16, 2026. (Ramon Espinosa/AP)
“The regime must make significant changes, allowing for privatization and for the Cuban people to provide for themselves,” they said.
Otherwise, another senior State Department official said Cuba’s blackouts have “sadly become common for many years in Cuba — a symptom of the failing regime’s incompetence and inability to provide even the most basic goods and services for its people.”
“This is the tragic result of over 60 years of Communist rule. An island that was once the crown jewel of the Caribbean has plunged into extreme poverty and darkness.
“As President Trump has said, what is left of the regime should make a deal and finally let the Cuban people be free and prosperous, with the help of the United States,” the official said.
“Cuba right now is in very bad shape. They’re talking to Marco,” Trump told reporters March 17 before adding that “we’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon.”
