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Russia is discreetly transporting oil to Cuba, employing deceptive shipping methods to sidestep U.S. sanctions, maritime intelligence reports reveal. This comes as the island nation faces significant fuel shortages and power outages.
One reported shipment occurred during one of Cuba’s most severe energy crises, just before a major power grid failure on March 16 that plunged approximately 10 million people into darkness, according to Cuban officials and the U.S. Embassy in Cuba.
Windward AI noted that a Hong Kong-flagged tanker, which is not under sanctions, exhibited AIS patterns indicating it may have spoofed its location and likely traveled to Cuba to offload its cargo in early March.
The Financial Times further reported on March 18 that another tanker, the Russian-flagged Anatoly Kolodkin, carrying crude oil, was anticipated to arrive in Cuba by April 4.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed Russia’s willingness to offer assistance, stating on March 17, “We are ready to provide all possible support,” as reported by The Moscow Times during a briefing on Cuba.
Russia uses deceptive maritime tactics to bypass U.S. sanctions on struggling Cuba amid energy shortages (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
The alleged shipments came as senior officials at the State Department told Fox News that, under existing law, there are ways for Cuban companies and citizens to purchase oil, but said the Cuban regime is making that impossible.Â
The U.S. oil embargo prevents the Cuban regime from purchasing oil only, the official confirmed.
Windward AI first identified the tanker, Sea Horse, as the key vessel in the suspected clandestine oil delivery in its report on March 18.
The firm said the vessel was thought to have transported around 190,000 to 200,000 barrels to Cuba while engaging in behavior consistent with sanctions evasion. Although the vessel is not under sanctions, Windward analysts flagged several suspicious activities.
These included switching off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) during a ship-to-ship transfer near Cyprus — where it likely loaded its cargo — and sailing without Western insurance, both common indicators of sanctions circumvention.
The tanker also repeatedly altered its stated destination, initially signaling Havana before changing to “Gibraltar for orders,” a tactic often used to obscure final delivery points.
A tanker sailing under the flag of Cuba, arrives at the port of Havana on Feb. 9, 2026. (YAMIL LAGE / AFP via Getty Images)
After crossing the Atlantic, it appeared to drift while broadcasting that it was “not under command,” with analysts suggesting its AIS signals may have been manipulated to conceal its true location and activities.
These movements strongly indicate that the vessel may have completed an unreported delivery to Cuba before resuming normal transmissions.
Since Jan. 29, U.S. measures — effectively creating an oil blockade — have disrupted fuel shipments to the island.
The policy shift followed major changes in Venezuela and the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, further tightening supply to Cuba and discouraging other tankers from approaching its ports.
President Donald Trump had warned that countries supplying oil to Cuba could face tariffs, while Cuban President Miguel DÃaz-Canel condemned the measures as an “economic war” and pledged continued resistance in a post shared on X.
“The only way for Cuba to fix its energy crisis is to address the root cause of its economic failures: total government control of economic life,” a U.S. official told Fox News on March 17.
People walk on the street during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, on Monday, March 16, 2026. (Ramon Espinosa/AP)
“The regime must make significant changes, allowing for privatization and for the Cuban people to provide for themselves,” they said.
Otherwise, another senior State Department official said Cuba’s blackouts have “sadly become common for many years in Cuba — a symptom of the failing regime’s incompetence and inability to provide even the most basic goods and services for its people.”
“This is the tragic result of over 60 years of Communist rule. An island that was once the crown jewel of the Caribbean has plunged into extreme poverty and darkness.
“As President Trump has said, what is left of the regime should make a deal and finally let the Cuban people be free and prosperous, with the help of the United States,” the official said.
“Cuba right now is in very bad shape. They’re talking to Marco,” Trump told reporters March 17 before adding that “we’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon.”