2026 in Cuba
| |||||
| Decades: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| See also: | |||||
This article covers events in the year 2026 in Cuba.
Incumbents
[edit]- First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba: Miguel Díaz-Canel
- President of Cuba: Miguel Díaz-Canel
- Prime Minister of Cuba: Manuel Marrero Cruz
Events
[edit]January
[edit]- 3 January – 2026 Cuban crisis: The US puts sanctions on oil sent to Cuba after the intervention in Venezuela, starting a crisis.
- 4 January – The government confirms that 32 members of its security forces were killed during the 2026 United States strikes in Venezuela the previous day and declares two days of national mourning beginning on 5 January.[1]
- 27 January – Mexico suspends oil shipments to Cuba.[2]
- 29 January – US president Donald Trump issues an executive order imposing tariffs on countries exporting oil to Cuba.[3]
February
[edit]- 3 February – The lowest temperature recorded in Cuba is measured at 0 °C (32 °F) at a weather station in Matanzas Province.[4]
- 8 February – Nicaragua suspends visa-free entry for Cuban nationals.[5]
- 9 February – Air Canada suspends flights to Cuba, citing ongoing fuel shortages in the country.[6]
- 11 February
- Cuba–Russia relations: Russian airliners Rossiya and Nordwind suspend flights to Cuba, citing ongoing fuel shortages in the island.[7]
- Canada–Cuba relations: Canadian airlines Air Transat and WestJet suspend all flights to Cuba amid a fuel shortage for commercial aviation.[8]
- Cuba–Mexico relations: Mexico confirms it suspended all fuel shipments to Cuba to avoid punitive tariffs by the United States, but vows to continue shipments of humanitarian aid.[9]
- 13 February – A fire breaks out at the Ñico López Refinery in Havana.[10]
- 14 February – Organizers announce the indefinite postponement of the 2026 edition of the Habanos Cigar Festival.[11]
- 25 February –
- 2026 Cuban boat incident: The Cuban coast guard kills four people on a United States-registered speedboat near Cayo Falcones during a shoot-out. Six boat passengers are injured.[12]
- The United States allows the export of Venezuelan oil to Cuba for humanitarian purposes.[13]
- 28 February – Ten Panamanian nationals are arrested in Havana on suspicion of fabricating subversive propaganda.[14]
March
[edit]- 3 March – Ecuador expels the Cuban ambassador, José María Borja, and his entire diplomatic staff for unspecified reasons.[15]
- 4 March –
- 2026 Cuban crisis: Air France announces the suspension of flights between Paris and Havana, from March 29 until at least June 15 due to a jet fuel shortage in Cuba.[16]
- 2024–2026 Cuba blackouts: A major blackout across much of western Cuba, including the capital Havana, leaves millions without power. Officials estimate it will last at least 72 hours.[17]
- Honduras cancels a cooperation agreement with Cuba that allowed Cuban medical professionals to operate in the country.[18]
- 5 March – Jamaica cancels a cooperation agreement with Cuba that allowed Cuban medical professionals to operate in the country.[19]
- 6 March – Cuba closes its embassy in Ecuador.[20]
- 13 March – President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirms that Cuba is in talks with the Trump administration to find solutions to the oil blockade in the country.[21]
- 14 March – Authorities arrest five people after protesters damage and set fire to a Communist Party office in Morón, Ciego de Ávila Province, during demonstrations over prolonged blackouts and shortages of basic goods.[22]
- 16 March –
- The government announces that citizens living abroad will be permitted to invest in and own businesses in the country as it seeks to expand commercial activity amid an economic crisis.[23]
- A nationwide power outage occurs following a total electrical grid collapse.[24]
- 18 March – Costa Rica breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba and closes its embassy in Havana.[25]
- 20 March – The United States says it will not allow Cuba to receive any shipments of fuel oil from Russia as two Russian tankers are en route to Havana to deliver around 190,000 barrels of oil amid a critical shortage on the island.[26]
- 22 March – Power is restored after the power grid collapsed the previous day.[27]
- 26 March – The Mexican Navy launches a search and rescue operation in the Caribbean Sea for two sailboats which departed from Isla Mujeres with nine crew members, carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba after they failed to arrive in Havana as scheduled and lost communication.[28] The missing vessels and crew are found safe on 29 March some 80 nautical miles from Havana.[29]
- 30 March – A Russian shadow fleet tanker carrying 100,000 tonnes of crude oil arrives in Cuba, defying a U.S.blockade of the island.[30]
April
[edit]- 2 April – Cuba announces the pardon of 2,010 prisoners, with releases scheduled over the coming months based on criteria such as conduct and health.[31]
Art and entertainment
[edit]Holidays
[edit]Source:[32]
- 1 January – Liberation Day
- 2 January – Victoria Day
- 3 April – Good Friday
- 1 May – Labour Day
- 25–27 July – National Revolutionary Day
- 10 October – Independence Day
- 25 December – Christmas Day
- 31 December – New Year's Eve
Deaths
[edit]- 10 January – Manolo Villaverde, 91, actor (¿Qué Pasa, USA?, Taina, Wiseguy).[33]
- 28 February – Roberto Castrillo, 84, sport shooter, Olympic bronze medalist (1980).[34]
- 11 March – Marcelino Miyares Sotolongo, 88, politician-in-exile and marketing executive.[35]
- 6 April – Danny Miranda, 47, baseball player, Olympic champion (2004).[36]
- 17 April – Jorge Enrique Serpa Pérez, 84, Roman Catholic prelate, bishop of Pinar del Río (2006–2019).[37]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Cuba says 32 Cuban fighters killed in US raids on Venezuela". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ^ "Mexican president says her country has paused oil shipments to Cuba". AP News. 28 January 2026.
- ^ "Cubans scramble to survive as US vise on island tightens in push to oust government". AP News. 31 January 2026. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
- ^ "Tropical Cuba registers freezing point for first time". GMA News. AFP. 4 February 2026. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ "Nicaraguan government blocks key pathway used by Cuban migrants to reach United States". AP News. 9 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ "Air Canada suspends flights to Cuba due to fuel shortage". Al Jazeera. 10 February 2026. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ^ "Russian Airlines Suspend Flights to Cuba, Evacuate Tourists Amid Fuel Crisis". The Moscow Times. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "More Canadian Airlines Halt Flights to Cuba Amid Fuel Shortage". Bloomberg News. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ "Mexico confirms standstill in oil shipments to Cuba". Anadolu Ajansi. 10 February 2026. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ "Oil refinery blaze hits Cuba as fuel crisis deepens". BBC. 14 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ "Cuba cancels cigar festival amid economic crisis". France 24. 14 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ Debusmann Jr., Bernd (25 February 2026). "Cuba says four shot dead on US-registered speedboat". BBC.
- ^ "US to allow Venezuelan oil sales to Cuba as alarm grows in the Caribbean". Al Jazeera. 26 February 2026. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ "Cuba says it has detained 10 Panamanians accused of creating 'subversive' propaganda". AP News. 3 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ "Ecuador declares Cuba's ambassador 'persona non grata,' orders mission to leave the country". AP News. 5 March 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- ^ "Air France to suspend Cuba service over fuel shortage". Jamaica Observer. 4 March 2026. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ Durán, Milexsy; Coto, Dánica (4 March 2026). "Millions left without power after major blackout hits Cuba's western region". Associated Press. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "Cuban doctors leave Honduras as Trump pushes to isolate the island". AP News. 5 March 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- ^ "Jamaica to end decades-long agreement with Cuba over medical missions criticized by US". AP News. 5 March 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- ^ "Cuba shuts its Quito embassy as Ecuador expels its diplomats". AP News. 7 March 2026. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "Cuba confirms negotiations with US as country faces effects of oil blockade". BBC. 13 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ "Protesters ransack a Cuban communist party office". Jamaica Observer. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ "Cuba tells exiles 'doors are open' to invest in businesses in the country". Al Jazeera. 16 March 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ^ Durán Milexsy; DÁNICA COTO (16 March 2026). "Island-wide blackout hits Cuba as island struggles with deepening energy crisis". AP News. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ^ "Costa Rica shutters its embassy in Cuba and orders diplomats to leave". CBS News. 18 March 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ Meredith, Sam (20 March 2026). "U.S. says Cuba is prohibited from taking Russian oil as two tankers head to island". CNBC. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ^ "Cuba begins to restore electricity after nationwide power grid collapse". CBS News. 22 March 2026. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ^ "Two humanitarian aid boats en route to Cuba are missing, Mexico says". Reuters. 27 March 2026.
- ^ "Two Cuba-bound aid ships found days after disappearing". BBC. 29 March 2026.
- ^ "Russian oil tanker reaches Cuba as US blockade seemingly loosened". BBC News. 30 March 2026. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
- ^ AFP (3 April 2026). "Cuba pardons 2,010 prisoners in 'humanitarian' Easter gesture". Free Malaysia Today | FMT. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
- ^ "Cuba Public Holidays 2026". Public Holidays Global. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ^ Fernández, Damian (11 January 2026). "Fallece el actor cubano Manolo Villaverde, el querido Pepe en "¿Qué pasa USA?"". Cubanet (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 January 2026.
- ^ El último disparo de Roberto (in Spanish)
- ^ "Marcelino Miyares, a veteran of Brigade 2506 and a Christian Democrat leader in the Cuban exile community, has passed away". CiberCuba. 12 March 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- ^ "Cuba: Ciego de Avila Tigres Manager, Olympic Gold Medalist Danny Miranda Dead at 47". World Baseball Network. 7 April 2026. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- ^ Bishop Jorge Serpa dies in Cuba: A life marked by exile and unwavering faith
