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Thieves stole the four photovoltaic solar panels installed in cabinet #1 of Reparto Flores, in Santiago de Cuba, located next to the Raúl Pujols Arencibia primary school, which left a telecommunications node of Etecsa without energy backup, affecting services during power outages.
The report was published on Facebook by engineer Luis Enrique Torres Almarales, an employee of the state entity in Santiago de Cuba, who described the incident as "counter-revolution and sabotage" and shared the serial numbers of the stolen panels to help the public locate them.
"These photovoltaic panel systems are installed at Etecsa's technological sites to ensure the continuity of telecommunications services provided to the community, particularly during outages of industrial power, which translates to an improved quality of life," Torres explained in his post.
This is the second robbery of this kind in Santiago de Cuba in less than a month. On May 1, a panel was stolen from the Micro 9-2 Integrated Cabinet, which rendered a system of approximately 2 kW inoperative, capable of supporting fixed telephony and Nauta Hogar for more than 10 nighttime hours and benefiting over 560 users.
The same complainant reported both cases and on that occasion demanded a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison for the perpetrator.
Citizen comments on the publication reflect widespread outrage and highlight irregularities in the institutional response.
"Someone is benefiting from this, because how could they steal it so easily and no one sees anything? To steal something like that requires a lot of time, more than one person, cars, and other resources," wrote Finlay Bartutis Silot, pointing to a possible internal complicity.
Other users raised concerns about the lack of surveillance cameras and alarm systems in critical facilities. "Make an investment in surveillance cameras; it's not that expensive," demanded Vladímir Robert Pascau.
Daniel Ortiz La O connected the phenomenon to the country's structural crisis: "This is not a new phenomenon; it is currently escalating without limits as part of the crisis and the lack of engagement from institutions and society," he said.
The perception of selective impunity also emerged in the comments. "If they had shouted counter-revolutionary slogans, they would have quickly been arrested and faced 10 years in prison," Grr Rodriguez sarcastically remarked.
The robbery in Reparto Flores is part of a national wave of thefts targeting solar infrastructure. In May, four individuals assaulted and tied up the guard of a water pumping station in Holguín and stole 32 solar panels.
That same month, a shift supervisor at a photovoltaic park in Guanabacoa was arrested for stealing more than 40 meters of electrical cables, leaving 24 panels out of service.
The Cuban regime responded to this wave with Ruling 475 from the People's Supreme Court, issued in May 2025, which classifies these acts as sabotage with penalties ranging from seven to 30 years, life imprisonment, or the death penalty in severe cases. Despite this, the thefts do not cease.
When the electricity is interrupted in Cuba, approximately 47.5% of mobile radio bases and 56.5% of the telecommunications cabinets in the country shut down, according to data from March, making each stolen panel a direct blow to the communications of entire neighborhoods.
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