Protesters stoned a CUPET service station early this morning at the intersection of Dolores and 24 streets in Havana, amid the largest wave of protests that has shaken the Cuban capital since July 11, 2021.
The incident was captured on video and spread on social media with the message: "Cupet de Dolores and 24 tonight. A clean rock throwing! #LongLiveFreeCuba." The images show the gas station at night, with green and red pumps and the pavement in a state of severe disrepair.
The attack on the state facility occurred amid protests that spread across at least twelve municipalities in Havana, including Lawton, Luyanó, Santos Suárez, Guanabacoa, Marianao, Playa, San Miguel del Padrón, Nuevo Vedado, Reparto Bahía, Boyeros, Vedado, Regla, and Habana del Este.
The neighbors took to the streets with pot-banging, bonfires, burning trash, and roadblocks, shouting "Down with the dictatorship!", "Electricity and food!" and "Homeland and Life".
Journalist José Raúl Gallego summarized the magnitude of what happened with one phrase: "I have never seen this like this since 11J."
The trigger for the protests is that the country is experiencing the worst energy crisis of the year.
On Wednesday, May 13, the Electric Union recorded a record impact of 2,113 MW at 8:40 PM, the largest electric deficit of 2026, surpassing the previous maximum of 2,075 MW recorded on March 6.
In some circuits in Havana, power outages reached between 20 and 22 hours a day, as acknowledged by the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy.
Miguel Díaz-Canel himself admitted on his Facebook account that the situation of the National Electroenergy System was "particularly tense," projecting a deficit exceeding 2,000 MW for the nighttime peak.
De la O Levy acknowledged that Cuba did not receive any fuel ships between December 2025 and the end of March 2026, except for a Russian donation of 100,000 tons of crude oil, which was depleted by early May. Domestic production barely covers 40,000 of the 110,000 barrels per day that the country requires.
Filed under: