Cuba received three ambulances equipped to strengthen its deteriorated emergency medical system, through a donation from Saint Petersburg, Russia, which will be allocated to health services in Havana, Matanzas, and Santiago de Cuba.
The delivery was reported by Canal Caribe, which indicated that the three vehicles are equipped for emergencies and are part of the cooperation between Havana and Moscow.
Vladimir Omelnitskii, Vice Governor of St. Petersburg, took the opportunity to reaffirm Russia's support for the Cuban regime.
"I am convinced that, despite all the obstacles, despite all the problems and the blockade, the Cuban people will resist and triumph, and will maintain their independence. And we will support the Cuban people," declared the official, in a message that closely echoes the official narrative from Havana, based on resistance, the blockade, and the defense of sovereignty as a recurring explanation for the country's crisis.
One of the ambulances will be specifically used to strengthen care for newborns in Havana, as explained by Yagen Pomarez Pérez, the general director of Health in the capital.
"We have decided to allocate it for the completion of neonatal care; that is to say, it will be one of our mobile units dedicated to the care of the smallest children, the newborns," the official stated amidst the constant criticism of this assistance service.
The arrival of just three new vehicles comes at a particularly delicate time for Cuban healthcare services.
In February, for example, the Minister of Public Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda went so far as to describe the healthcare system as "on the verge of collapse".
Among the acknowledged problems at that time were the difficulties faced by ambulances in obtaining fuel and responding to emergencies, in addition to persistent power outages, deteriorating hospitals, shortages of medications and supplies, and a growing deficit of medical personnel.
Ambulance services were explicitly listed among the areas under the most pressure.
The deterioration of that service was also acknowledged last Tuesday by Miguel Díaz-Canel, who admitted that ambulances in Cuba operate with only 22% technical availability due to a lack of spare parts, another piece of information that highlights the seriousness of the crisis facing the healthcare system.
The donation is part of a healthcare cooperation with Russia that has intensified during 2026 and demonstrates the ongoing material and financial support from Moscow to the regime in Havana.
In April, Moscow also delivered a donation of medications to Cuba, at a time when the shortage of drugs continues to affect hospitals, pharmacies, and patients.
The relationship between both governments has also progressed towards more extensive economic projects. In June, Cuba and Russia formalized their first joint venture in the biopharmaceutical sector, named Sinergia Global Biofarmacéutica, with an initial announced investment of 11 million dollars and projects that could reach up to 113 million.
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