Common Questions

Did Russia send oil to Cuba in 2026?: Yes. The Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin docked in Havana on 31 March 2026 with approximately 730,000 barrels of crude oil, with a second vessel being loaded at the time.Source: Russian Energy Ministry / Tsivilyov statement
How much oil does Cuba need each day?: Cuba requires roughly 60,000-70,000 Barrels Per Day. The Anatoly Kolodkin's 730,000-barrel cargo covered approximately 9-10 days of national demand.Source: Russian Energy Ministry
Is Russia defying US Cuba oil sanctions?: Russia's 31 March 2026 delivery proceeded publicly despite EO 14380 authorising secondary tariffs on Cuba fuel suppliers. Moscow announced the shipment openly at an energy forum.Source: Russian Energy Ministry
What crude oil did the Anatoly Kolodkin deliver to Cuba?: The Anatoly Kolodkin delivered approximately 730,000 barrels of crude oil to Havana on 31 March 2026, equivalent to nine to ten days of Cuban national demand.Source: Cuba Dispatch
How did the Anatoly Kolodkin crude affect Cuba's power supply?: The crude was refined at the Camilo Cienfuegos refinery (restarted 17 April) and powered four consecutive blackout-free days in Havana from 19 to 23 April 2026, with peak availability reaching 1,973 MW on 23 April.Source: Cuba Dispatch
Who operates the Anatoly Kolodkin tanker?: The Anatoly Kolodkin is operated by Sovcomflot, Russia's largest state-owned tanker company. Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilyov confirmed the delivery at an energy forum in Kazan.Source: Cuba Dispatch

Background

Anatoly Kolodkin is a Russian crude oil tanker operated by Sovcomflot, approximately 50,923 DWT, named after Anatoly Kolodkin (1928-2012), a prominent Soviet and Russian international law scholar. The vessel is part of Russia's state-controlled tanker fleet and has been engaged in the Cuba resupply programme during 2026 under the framework of US OFAC wind-down licences.

The Anatoly Kolodkin docked at Havana on 31 March 2026, delivering approximately 730,000 barrels of crude oil — nine to ten days of Cuban national demand — as Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilyov publicly confirmed a second vessel was being loaded. The Camilo Cienfuegos refinery in Cienfuegos province restarted on 17 April 2026 after roughly four months offline, routing this crude into Cuba's National Grid. The result was four consecutive blackout-free days in Havana from 19 to 23 April, with peak availability reaching 1,973 MW on 23 April. Cuba's Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy stated publicly that with this single ship's fuel, supply would last only until end of April. Cuba requires roughly eight fuel shipments monthly; between December 2025 and April 2026 it received one, meeting roughly 13 per cent of its stated need. The successor tanker Universal is expected at Matanzas around 29 April 2026 under OFAC General Licence 134B cover.

How the World Sees Them

Cuba

The delivery provided short-term relief and enabled four blackout-free days in Havana 19-23 April, but Cuba's energy minister stated publicly it would last only until end of April.

Havana

The delivery provided short-term relief but was insufficient to stabilise the national grid through April 2026.

Moscow

Publicly announced the delivery; frames fuel shipments as humanitarian solidarity with Cuba under US sanctions pressure.

Russia

Publicly announced the delivery via an energy minister statement at a Kazan forum, making clear Moscow was not concealing the transaction.

Washington

EO 14380 authorises secondary tariffs on crude suppliers to Cuba; OFAC's GL 134B covered the next delivery but not this vessel, suggesting selective enforcement.