A sanctioned Russian tanker, the Universal, has drifted nearly 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) off the Cuban coast since mid-April, Bloomberg reported on May 5. The vessel left Russia with approximately 270,000 barrels of diesel for the Caribbean island.

Cuba is experiencing its most severe economic crisis in history, exacerbated by a U.S. embargo on oil shipments that has prevented all but one Russian oil tanker from reaching the island in 2026. Recurring blackouts have lasted for more than 20 hours per day, while the country's grid has collapsed multiple times in recent months. To alleviate the energy crisis, Havana has adopted measures to boost domestic oil production by replacing equipment that would allow two of the country's largest oil wells to increase production by 30%, and it has also expanded the installation of Chinese solar panels. Cuba only produces 40% of the energy it consumes, and its power grid relies on oil-fueled thermoelectrical power plants.