Fidel Antonio Castro Smirnov, grandson of the founder of the Cuban dictatorship, publicly thanked Russian energy support to Cuba during his speech last Sunday at the first Forum of the International Socialist Network Sovintern, held in Moscow from April 25 to 27.
Castro Smirnov led the Spanish-language interventions at the Latin American panel of the forum, which brought together over 300 delegates from 70 countries under the slogan "For a New 21st Century Socialism," promoted by the Russian party Fair Russia.
In these challenging times for the Cuban people, we have the supportive help of the Russian people and government, for which we express our deepest gratitude, the academic declared before the delegates.
The grandson of the dictator Fidel Castro described the urgent need for fuel in terms that go far beyond electricity generation: "We really need fuel now for the economy of the country to function. Not just for generation, but for hospitals, to move ambulances, for schools to operate, for universities to function, for our research centers to work."
His words reflect an unprecedented energy crisis in decades. Cuba needs between 90,000 and 110,000 barrels daily, but it only produces 40,000, a gap that has led to blackouts of up to 24 consecutive hours and a power generation deficit exceeding 1,400 MW at the time of his speech.
The crisis was accelerated by a chain of supply cuts: the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3 eliminated Venezuelan shipments of between 26,000 and 35,000 barrels per day, and Mexico also suspended its supplies that same month.
Russia has responded with two partial shipments: the tanker Anatoly Kolodkin arrived at the port of Matanzas on March 31 with 730,000 barrels of crude oil, and the vessel Universal was heading towards the Caribbean with an estimated arrival of 251,000 barrels of diesel this Wednesday.
However, the Cuban Minister of Energy and Mines stated on April 23 that Cuba needs eight fuel ships per month, and between January and April, it only received one from Russia, which highlights that the assistance from Moscow is insufficient to address the structural deficit.
In his speech, Castro Smirnov also directly targeted Washington: "The Trump administration and Marco Rubio have threatened the entire world with sanctions if they sell us oil. What justification is there for that collective punishment?"
The reference refers to the Executive Order 14380 signed by Trump on January 29, which declared the Cuban regime a "unique and extraordinary threat" and imposed tariffs of up to 50% on any country that supplies oil to the island, deterring potential alternative suppliers.
The academic, a doctor in biology and a tenured professor at the University of Havana, invoked his grandfather's legacy to justify the regime's stance: "From him, we also learned that in the worst moments we must seek solutions in science."
Castro Smirnov also noted that his presence in Moscow had the additional goal of "strengthening scientific ties between our peoples," as part of the Year of the Centennial of Castro, officially proclaimed by Cuba for 2026.
It is not the first time that the dictator's grandson has acted as the regime's spokesperson at international forums: in February he admitted in London that "the danger has never been so close" for Cuba.
He concluded his address in Moscow with a promise of resilience that encapsulates the regime's rhetoric in the face of the worst energy crisis the Cuban people have faced in decades: "In Cuba, we will continue to resist, we will continue to fight, confident that sooner rather than later, we will achieve victory."
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