A 17-second video filmed on Calzada de Boyeros in Havana went viral this week after showing a tractor with a trailer moving along with one of its rear wheels missing a tire, while a worker was riding in the back of the vehicle.
The author of the video himself summed up the scene with a phrase that became the most shared comment: "Everything about that tractor is surreal. The man is standing on the back, near where the wheel is missing, when there are other spaces available. Incredible. Who doubts that Cubans have anthropological damage?"
Several users identified the vehicle as belonging to the state company Comunales de Boyeros, and specified that it was traveling through the María del Carmen neighborhood, known as Río Cristal, heading towards Fontanar.
Reactions ranged from mockery to indignation and resignation.
Some mocked with phrases like "an achievement of the Revolution" or "that tractor is a symbol of socialism," while others pointed out the concrete risk it poses for traffic: "This is how accidents happen, and it also damages the avenue," wrote a user.
A person experienced in handling this type of vehicle explained the reasoning behind the maneuver: "That is done when there are no spare parts available to fix the cart at the moment, and since there's never any, it doesn't surprise me. I also had to do that kind of maneuver when I drove mine."
Another comment pointed out a contradiction that many recognized: "A private transport immediately faces twenty patrols and 400 fines for the driver," while state vehicles circulate under those conditions without any consequences.
There were also those who warned that the danger was not limited to the missing wheel: "That front tire with the bulge is a hazard," pointed out a user, referring to another visibly deformed tire on the vehicle.
The scene is not an isolated case. In Havana, more buses were out of service in 2025 —309— than in operation —252— according to data from the Cuban government itself, which has described the public transportation situation as a “true debacle due to lack of fuel and spare parts”.
The Boyeros municipality, where this incident occurred, was also the scene in June of this year of another extreme image of hardship: a senior citizens' dining hall that was cooking with an improvised stove made from a old tire and firewood due to the lack of gas.
The agricultural machinery crisis continues to spiral downwards: tires, engines, and brakes must be purchased in foreign currency that state enterprises do not possess. Belarus promised to supply 50 new tractors to the Cuban regime in June 2025, a figure considered insufficient given the extent of the deterioration.
A user summarized it with bitter irony in the comments of the video: "Nothing stops us... how many achievements."
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