In the neighbourhoods around Havana on Wednesday evening, residents came out onto dark streets and began banging pots and pans in protest. Some areas had experienced blackouts lasting up to 22 hours daily. Earlier that day, Cuba's Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, made an announcement that governments rarely admit publicly. "We have absolutely no fuel, oil, and absolutely no diesel," he said. "We have no reserves." The minister described the national power grid as "critical." By Wednesday, the country faced a power deficit exceeding 1,100 megawatts, with shortages expected to reach 2,000 megawatts during peak hours. On Thursday morning, the grid partially collapsed, cutting electricity across all eastern provinces. Cuba produces only about 40 percent of the fuel it requires. For nearly twenty years, Venezuela supplied the rest through subsidised oil. However, this supply ended in January 2026 after a US military operation removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power. Since then, Washington has threatened tariffs against any country sending fuel to Cuba. Russia attempted to help by sending tanker ships, but one vessel has remained stranded offshore for weeks due to fears of US sanctions. The aging power plants that generate Cuba's electricity are exhausted and outdated. Hospitals have cancelled surgeries, food has spoiled in warming refrigerators, and water systems face disruption. The United States has offered approximately 100 million dollars in humanitarian aid, though it must be distributed through the Catholic Church rather than the Cuban government.