Cuban Coast Guard ships arrive in Havana Harbor on February 25, 2026. The Cuban Coast Guard said on February 25, 2026, four people were killed and six wounded during an exchange of gunfire off the coast of Cuba.
Adalberto Roque | Afp | Getty Images
The Kremlin said on Thursday that the situation in fuel-starved Cuba was intensifying after a deadly incident with a US-registered speedboat off the coast of the Caribbean island.
“We see that the situation around Cuba is escalating,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti.
“The most important thing is the humanitarian aspect. Of course, the humanitarian problems of Cuban citizens must be solved and no one should create obstacles,” said Peskov.
The comments came shortly after Cuba’s interior ministry said border guards killed four exiles and wounded six others in a Florida-tagged speedboat.
The ship’s 10 passengers reportedly opened fire on a Cuban patrol off the island’s north coast.
The men, who are Cuban nationals living in the US, were armed and some had previous criminal records, according to Cuba’s interior ministry. Items seized from the boat included assault rifles, handguns, improvised explosive devices and camouflage uniforms, it said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the incident as “highly unusual” and said the White House would “respond appropriately” after conducting an independent investigation.
Cuba is currently struggling with a worsening economic crisis amid the US oil embargo.
The Trump administration has effectively cut Cuba off from Venezuelan oil since it launched a military operation to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3. Cuba killed 32 of its citizens in the attack.
US President Donald Trump has said the Cuban government poses an “extraordinary and extraordinary threat” and has vowed to impose tariffs on any country that supplies it with oil.
Robert L. in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis on February 25, 2026. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters in the departure lounge before returning to Washington following meetings with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders at Bradshaw International Airport.
Jonathan Ernst | Afp | Getty Images
Cuba, which has denounced US pressure, has adopted measures to protect essential services and rationed fuel supplies to key sectors.
The United Nations has warned of a possible humanitarian “collapse” in Cuba as oil supplies dwindle.
Mexico, for its part, sent a new shipment of humanitarian aid to Cuba this week. The ships left the port of Veracruz on Tuesday with a total of approximately 1,200 metric tons of food supplies, according to Mexico’s Foreign Ministry.
“The people of Mexico have maintained their tradition of solidarity with the people of Latin America and especially with the people of Cuba. Our country has always provided assistance to our brother countries in need,” the ministry said in a statement.
Food supplies are expected to arrive in Cuba on Saturday.
(tags to translate)Politics
