A Russian citizen residing in Central Havana sparked laughter on social media after posting a video on Instagram in which she expresses her bewilderment over something that is extraordinary in Cuba: having several consecutive days of nearly continuous electricity in her home.
Poli, known on social media as @la.rusita_cubana, recorded the reel from her apartment on a high floor in the capital city, describing it with a phrase that encapsulates the paradox: "Hey, while making the video the power went out haha."
"I'm scared, very scared. I'm freaking out," begins the content creator, before explaining the reason for her alarm: "I'm from Centro Habana, and in my house, for the past few days, the power hardly goes out. Out of the 24 hours in a day, we have electricity most of the time."
From her window, Poli says she sees something equally unusual: "I live high up and can see half of Havana, and everyone is lit up. Water is coming in. There's water in my cistern. It's full."
The changes in the immediate environment also leave her bewildered. "The neighbors stopped sleeping out on the balconies," she notes, recalling the practice adopted during the worst blackouts to escape the heat. Now, on those same balconies, there is laundry hanging.
"What's going on? I'm lost. There are lights everywhere. I don't know who's coming, who's going, or who will come," she summarizes with her characteristic accent and humor.
Taking advantage of the good times, Poli made a decision: "I've had an empty freezer for a while. And these days I decided to buy seafood. I don't know what happened, but a few days ago I started to like crab. That crab sits well with my stomach and my heart," he shares, referring to the crab he bought and hopes will stay frozen: "I hope it doesn't spoil and will remain frozen in my freezer."
Did he really mean the crustacean or another type of crab?
The clip takes on full meaning in light of the brutal electricity crisis that Cuba has experienced throughout 2026. On September 13, the maximum forecasted impact at the national level was 1,965 MW, with only 1,285 MW of generation available against a demand of 3,270 MW.
Havana, historically more sheltered for political reasons, also did not escape prolonged outages. However, last week the regime announced "0 impacts due to generation deficit" in the capital, although on that same day the Electric Company reported affected circuits and megawatts.
In that context, the partial improvement that Poli is experiencing in Centro Habana is real, but fragile, which explains his mix of relief and disbelief.
It is not the first time that the Russian has captured the attention of social media with her perspective on everyday life in the island. In April, Poli revealed that she named her daughter "Apagonia" in direct reference to chronic shortages, a video that sparked national debate and even drew reactions from Cuban public figures.
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