"They spend in one day what Cubans earn in months": The U.S. strikes against the Cuban regime's leadership

The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Juan Pablo Segura, denounced on Monday that the ruling elite in Cuba spends more in a single day than most Cubans earn in months, while the population faces prolonged blackouts, food shortages, and a deep economic crisis. The official pointed directly to GAESA, the business conglomerate controlled by the Cuban Armed Forces.

"The ruling elite of Cuba spends more in a day than most Cubans earn in months. At the center of this kleptocracy is GAESA, a military apparatus that has $20 billion in illicit assets and diverts cash to accounts abroad while the Cuban people face blackouts and hunger," Segura wrote on his official X account.

The senior official also accused the regime of reselling subsidized Venezuelan oil in international markets to obtain foreign currency, instead of using it to alleviate the energy crisis that leaves millions of Cubans subjected to frequent power outages.

The report references information published in January by the Miami Herald, based on an analysis by the U.S. government, indicating that Cuba reportedly resold nearly 60% of the oil received from Venezuela.

According to that version, between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025, Cuba would have resold to Asian buyers about 40,000 barrels per day of crude oil and derivatives

This is not the first time that Segura has denounced the management of financial resources by the Cuban military.

Last August, he accused GAESA of having "plundered" around 18 billion dollars from the Cuban people and questioned the conglomerate's operation beyond the reach of audits from the General Comptroller of the Republic.

Days later, he described the island's economic system as a “military-controlled kleptocracy”, where the country's resources are concentrated in the hands of a minority connected to power.

The accusations are part of the increasing pressure from Washington against the military conglomerate. On May 7th, the United States sanctioned GAESA and its executive president, Brigadier General Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera.