A mother residing in Calabazar, Boyeros municipality of Havana, posted a complaint on Facebook this Friday, accusing workers from the state electricity system of illegally selling electricity that was meant for her neighborhood, while other circuits and private businesses continued to receive uninterrupted supply in exchange for money.
The author of the post, identified as Isol G, is also the person who originally shared the videos of the protest in Calabazar that circulated on social media.
In her complaint, she recounts that the neighbors in the neighborhood had been receiving electricity for only a short time each day, while small and medium-sized enterprises and other prioritized circuits enjoyed power 24 hours.
According to his account, on Thursday night the neighbors themselves intercepted the responsible workers and caught them red-handed: “The truck, which is somewhat basic, was loaded with boxes of beer, while they had wads of cash and were also drunk as a skunk, enjoying and profiting at the expense of the pain of a community,” Isol G wrote in his Facebook post.
The workers were detained following the intervention of the neighbors.
The complaint also points to a similar case in the Mantilla neighborhood, where employees of the electrical system allegedly offered to restore the service in exchange for 200 dollars: "They insinuated that the town was in the dark because it wanted to be. Because with 200 USD they could restore the power," wrote the complainant.
Isol G acknowledged that the energy crisis has structural causes, but emphasized that corruption systematically exacerbates it: "It is no less true that there are prolonged blackouts due to the fuel deficit, but it is also no less true that some workers in the OBE and UNE have turned this situation into a business."
His conclusion encapsulates the accumulated outrage: “They take it from whoever they want and give it to whoever pays.”
The complaint also includes a personal demand: "I demand justice for the nights my newborn baby has spent without sleep, suffering from immense power outages and mosquito bites that only harm her."
The events are occurring during Cuba's worst energy crisis in decades. This Friday, the country faces an electrical deficit of nearly 2,260 MW, with only 940 MW available against a demand of 3,100 MW.
Corruption in the Cuban electrical system has documented precedents.
In 2024, three linemen from UNE in Mariel were accused of diverting over 21 million pesos through the use of official vehicles.
In June 2025, seven employees of the Electric Company of Havana and 14 clients were convicted of fraud and bribery. In June 2026, illegal electrical connections to prioritized circuits were detected in Guantánamo.
Boyeros and Calabazar also have their own history of mobilizations. In November 2024, residents blocked Boyeros Avenue after a week without electricity and the police repressed the protest.
In May 2026, protests spread due to power outages lasting up to 22 hours a day in the Mulgoba area. In June 2026, 107 protests were documented across the island, 82 of which took place in Havana, setting a historic record.
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