Related videos:
The Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Chernyshenko announced this Thursday that Russia will transfer 50 vehicles from the Moskvich brand to the taxi company in Havana, as part of the Russia-Cuba Business Dialogue held during the XXIX St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2026).
Chernyshenko framed the delivery within a broader agenda of bilateral cooperation: "Following the agreements reached between our presidents, Vladimir Putin and Miguel Díaz-Canel, we continue to develop cooperation in various areas. Last year, Russia increased its imports from Cuba by 20%. The supply of Russian vehicles to Cuba - GAZ, UAZ, KAMAZ, and Lada - is expanding."
On May 7, the Moscow Department of Transport confirmed to the Russian newspaper Izvestia that Cuba has begun construction work on the infrastructure for the Moskvich taxi park in Havana, and that "all cars and equipment are ready for shipment from Russia."
Some of the cars are gasoline-powered and others are electric, with solar charging infrastructure for the electric ones.
The project has been underway for more than a year. In November 2024, Moscow's Deputy Mayor for Transport, Maxim Liksutov, and Cuba's Minister of Transport, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, signed a memorandum to deploy 50 Moskvich in taxi services in Havana and Varadero.
In May 2025, President Miguel Díaz-Canel visited the Moskvich factory in Moscow, where Mayor Serguéi Sobianin donated 10 additional vehicles - model Moskvich 6 - for social services in Havana.
These 10 cars arrived in the Cuban capital last November and were designated for health and education services, not for general public transportation.
Chernyshenko also announced on Thursday the signing of a memorandum for the joint development of cancer vaccines, that Russia supplied Cuba with six tons of substances for the production of medicines in 2025, and that about 90 Russian companies are interested in exporting meat, dairy products, and fish to the Island.
The announcement of the 50 Moskvich arrives at the worst moment for Cuban transportation in decades. The state passenger transport has plummeted by 93% between January and September 2025.
On February 6, the urban transportation system in Havana completely collapsed, with all bus and minibus routes halted due to a lack of fuel.
In Ciego de Ávila, only two out of 135 bus routes were functioning as of March 31, 2026.
In that context, the 50 Moskvich taxis—primarily aimed at tourists and users with the ability to pay in foreign currency—represent a symbolic and marginal solution to the real mobility needs of millions of Cubans.
The Russian-Cuban automotive cooperation is part of a broader trend: Cuba has entrusted several of its industries to Russia in recent years, and Russia plans to resume the assembly of GAZ vehicles on the island in 2026, having already inaugurated a UAZ assembly line in 2025.
Chernyshenko concluded his speech with a statement that encapsulates the narrative of both regimes: "Our partnership is destined to become an example of a new architecture for international economic cooperation in a multipolar world."
Filed under: