Citizens now cooking with firewood following blackouts in Cuba as fuel reportedly runs out

Cuba has been hit by worsening power outages as the country’s communist government confirmed that its oil reserves have run out, triggering fresh blackouts and rare protests near the capital, Havana. Eastern parts of the island were plunged into another round of electricity shutdowns on Thursday, May 14, while dozens of residents reportedly staged protests on Wednesday, May 13, in San Miguel del Padron on the outskirts of Havana over the prolonged outages. The crisis comes as Cuba struggles with severe fuel shortages and increasing pressure on its ageing power infrastructure. Speaking on state television, Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said oil reserves previously supplied by Russia had now been exhausted. “Oil reserves sent by Russia have now run out,” the minister said. “The impact of the blockade is indeed causing us significant harm… because we are still not receiving fuel,” he added, blaming the situation partly on long-standing US sanctions. Images from Havana showed residents cooking with firewood during the blackout as frustration continues to grow across the country. The latest outage adds to months of energy instability in Cuba, where repeated blackouts have disrupted daily life, businesses and public services.