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The Embassy of Russia in Cuba held a press conference this Tuesday to announce the "Friendship Race," a popular marathon scheduled for Saturday, May 16, in front of its diplomatic headquarters in Havana, in a gesture of bilateral propaganda that stands in stark contrast to the food crisis the island is facing.
The event, organized annually in collaboration with the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education, and Recreation (INDER), commemorates Russia's Victory Day in World War II and the anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The Russian ambassador Víctor Koronelli presided over the event and said: "The Race of Friendship is a testament to the historic ties between our peoples. It is important for Russians and Cubans to celebrate Victory together."
Juan Carlos Mesa, Deputy Head of the National Commission for Races and Walks MARABANA-MARACUBA, provided the technical details of the course and acknowledged that the race will take place "despite the complex conditions in the country," attributing them—using the regime's usual language—to the "criminal blockade" of the United States.
Registration opens at 8:00, and the marathon is scheduled to start at 10:00 on Saturday.
While Moscow organizes sporting events, one in three Cuban families goes hungry, according to the survey "In Cuba There Is Hunger 2025" by the Food Monitor Program (FMP), published on May 6.
The report reveals that 33.9% of Cuban households reported that at least one member went to bed without eating during 2025, an increase of 9.3 percentage points compared to 2024.
As of April 2026, 96.91% of the population lacked adequate access to food, 25% go to bed without dinner daily, and 29% of families have eliminated at least one meal per day.
The productive collapse worsens the situation: pork production fell by 93.2%, rice production dropped by between 59% and 81%, egg production decreased by 43%, and milk production declined by 37.6%.
This is compounded by power outages, which in March 2026 reached up to 25 hours a day. 80% of Cuban households reported having lost refrigerated food due to power cuts, according to data from the FMP published this Monday.
Russia has sent oil, granted credits, and promised an investment plan exceeding 1 billion dollars in sectors such as energy, transportation, and food.
However, Cuba has placed its industries in Russian hands without this having reversed the economic collapse or the scarcity experienced by the majority of the population.
The very announcement of the marathon mirrors the regime's official narrative by blaming the U.S. embargo for the country's "complex conditions," evading the six decades of dictatorial rule as a structural cause of the crisis.
Deaths from malnutrition in Cuba increased by 74% between 2022 and 2023, rising from 43 to 75 fatalities according to data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), a figure that illustrates the extent of the daily struggle that Cubans face: not for medals, but for survival.
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