A video posted on Facebook by Bryan Anniel Prado Diaz shows a Cuban pouring oil into the tank of a gasoline car, while denouncing that what he was sold on the black market as fuel was actually re-bottled oil.
The recording amassed over a million views, becoming a new viral testament to the energy crisis currently facing the Island.
"We're putting oil in the car here, we're going to add a little oil to revive the little car," says the author at the beginning of the video.
His companion clarifies, “It’s a gasoline aleco. It’s gasoline. It’s a gasoline car,” before showing an unopened bottle of Sublime brand soybean oil. “See, it’s oil? So later, don’t tell me it’s repackaged gasoline here.”
The case documents a practice that is increasingly spreading in Cuba: the desperate use of vegetable oil as a substitute for fuel.
At the beginning of June, the price of a liter of gasoline on the black market ranged between 3,500 and 8,000 Cuban pesos (CUP), and cases have already been documented of 16,000 CUP paid for just three liters.
For its part, sunflower oil was around 1,500 CUP per liter in the informal market, making its use cheaper than diesel.
However, the "new demand" from drivers for a product that is a basic necessity has also driven up its price.
This was confirmed by internet users in Prado Diaz's post.
"For that reason, oil is becoming more valuable," said one.
"Sure, not long ago it was at 900, and now it's at 2,000," added another.
"Those who add oil should be penalized so they can see the consequences, as this has led to a rise in oil prices, and of course, they benefit from tickets, but most people are suffering," commented a third party.
"Now the oil is going to reach 4,000 pesos, and what does someone who wants it for cooking do?" questioned another user.
Technically, vegetable oil is not a suitable substitute for diesel. Its high viscosity leads to poorer fuel atomization, incomplete combustion, the accumulation of carbon deposits in the injectors, and accelerated engine wear, which in the long run further exacerbates the deterioration of the already precarious Cuban vehicle fleet.
This video joins a series of similar testimonies that have been circulating in recent months.
On April 9th, a truck on the Camagüey-Havana route used 30 bottles of cooking oil mixed with petroleum to complete the journey.
At the end of May, Cubans filled the tank of a bus with sunflower oil due to the inability to obtain diesel.
The underlying crisis is structural and has direct culprits.
Since December 2025, Cuba stopped receiving imported oil from Venezuela and Mexico, accumulating consecutive months without external supplies. The reserves of 100,000 tons of Russian oil that arrived in March 2026 were quickly depleted.
The regime itself admitted the disaster: the Minister of Energy acknowledged that the country was "without fuel", and Miguel Díaz-Canel admitted in April that "there is fuel, almost none."
Far from alleviating the situation, the regime chose to liberalize prices at dollarized stations starting May 15, setting the price of special gasoline B100 at $2.60 USD per liter, an amount unattainable for most Cubans who earn in pesos and whose average state salary does not exceed 5,000 CUP per month.
The measure sparked speculation and opened the door to frauds like the one highlighted in the viral video.
Cuba has experienced seven total collapses of the National Electric System in 18 months, including a nationwide blackout on March 16, and there have been reports of wait times of over 15 hours to refuel at gas stations.
A Cuban commentator on social media bitterly summarized the looming outlook: "Soon oil will cost 10,000 pesos, just wait until there's none."
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