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The Cuban Electric Union (UNE) published an official letter addressed to CUPET last Thursday, which referred to the oil workers as "brothers in battle" and expressed solidarity in light of the sanctions imposed by the United States against the state-owned company. However, the response from Cubans on social media was one of mockery and widespread indignation.
The letter, signed by Rubén Campos Olmo, General Director of the UNE, was published on the accounts of both state entities one day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the inclusion of CUPET on the list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), under Executive Order 14404 signed by President Donald Trump on May 1, 2026.
In the letter, Campos Olmo stated: "Without you, there is no electricity; without electricity, there is no industry, no hospitals, no schools, and the damage to the population is very high. That is why this aggression is not only against CUPET: it is against every Cuban home, against our children, against every workplace, against the very life of the nation."
The document concluded with a revolutionary tone: "The people's energy cannot be sanctioned. The Revolution does not surrender. Until victory, always!"
The contradiction between that discourse and the reality experienced by Cubans did not go unnoticed.
The National Electric System reported on Tuesday a projected shortfall of up to 2,000 MW during the nighttime peak, with a availability of only 1,030 MW against a demand of 3,000 MW.
In addition, CUPET has been selling premium gasoline exclusively in dollars since February 2025, and that propane gas canisters reached prices of up to 50 dollars in the informal market in June 2026.
The comments on the posts from both entities harshly reflected this frustration.
"Cubans don’t need speeches to turn on a light bulb. They need fuel, stable generation, modernized networks, and a functioning electric system," wrote a user, who added that "when a company spends more time issuing political slogans than explaining production indicators, it’s normal for many citizens to ask questions."
Others were more direct: "When they stop selling the gas canisters in dollars, let me know." Or the message from a Cuban who pointed out that "in the meantime, we will continue selling gas for dollars, and those who can't afford it can just deal with it... you are the hunger and the calamity."
"And the disconnected, stubborn people," summarized one internet user. Meanwhile, another user pointed out with irony: "Future, sustainable, and Cuba cannot exist in the same sentence."
The sanctions against CUPET had immediate consequences. The company Vanguard Energy, based in Coral Gables, Florida, suspended the shipment of 250,000 barrels of fuel to Cuba and Miami-Dade County revoked its business license.
For Paul Kaye, Vice President of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, the signs of failure were there from the start. The question now is whether other companies interested in doing business with Cuba will take note of a situation that, according to his analysis, ended just as one might have expected.
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