
The Cuban comedian Ulises Toirac acknowledged on Facebook that he deleted a previous post based on alleged statements from Cuba's Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, but he was firm in maintaining his underlying criticism: six decades of poor economic decisions made the energy collapse the island is experiencing inevitable.
Toirac explained in his new publication that he was carried away by indignation over the blackouts and shared information that turned out to be false. "I got caught up in the anger and the blackouts that have me fed up," he wrote. He admitted that, after verifying through official channels, the claims circulating about the leader were "untrue" and that certain publications "are obviously aimed at provoking an impulsive reaction from people."
The Cuban government, through the official newspaper 5 de Septiembre, had previously warned about the circulation of false statements attributed to De la O Levy regarding a supposed total disconnection of the National Electric System (SEN).
"As ugly as it is frank, I apologize for that part of my post," Toirac acknowledged. However, he made it clear that his rectification has a precise limit.
"But I do not take it back: although the measures against Cuba have an impact on the current energy situation, I still believe that sooner or later, with the economic and financial decisions made over the past 60 years, the disaster we are experiencing was bound to happen," he wrote.
The actor pointed directly to political responsibility: "What others do is not my decision (although if you are a politician, you should have anticipated it), but I must take responsibility for what I do. Period."
The publication arrives at one of the most critical moments in Cuba's energy history. The National Electric System collapsed for the fifth time in 2026 on Tuesday, July 14, at 11:05 a.m., due to the shutdown of the Felton 1 unit, which caused an oscillation in the system's parameters with a sudden change in frequency, according to the Electric Union.
After that collapse, Minister De la O Levy stated that there were no operational errors. “In the Electric Union, there is technical capacity, knowledge, dedication, and a strong sense of belonging.”
On May 14, the official himself had acknowledged that Cuba had "not a drop of diesel or fuel oil," describing the situation as "acute, critical, and extremely tense."
Ulises is not unfamiliar with this debate. Just a few days ago, he described life under the blackouts as a "nightmare" and criticized the regime for specific decisions: the closure of sugar mills, the failed investment in the Juraguá nuclear plant, the use of heavier national crude that damaged the thermoelectric plants, and the neglect of electrical infrastructure maintenance.
The episode illustrates the ongoing tension between the misinformation circulating on social media about the crisis and the reality that millions of Cubans face every day.
The comedian fell into an information trap, acknowledged it publicly, and took responsibility, but he didn't yield an inch on the essential issue: Cuba's energy disaster is not an accident, but rather the predictable outcome of decades of failed governmental management.
Related videos:
Filed under: