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Knowledge, Topic sheet

Energy and electricity

· Helfen statt Blockieren editorial team

Electricity is the precondition for almost everything else in these sheets: water pumps, cold chains, operating theatres, the internet. Sanctions act here through oil, power plant spare parts and financing, and at the same time, critics say, decades of missing investment matter.

What is blocked

  • Cuba: Executive Order 14380 of 29 January 2026 allows additional duties on goods from countries that supply oil to Cuba directly or indirectly1.
  • Russia: Since December 2022 the EU has limited maritime transport, insurance and financing for Russian crude to cargoes below a price cap2.

What is expressly allowed

  • UN: Resolution 2664 of 9 December 2022 makes clear that funds and services for humanitarian aid and basic human needs are not covered by UN asset freezes. 14 states voted in favour, India abstained3.
  • Syria: After the February 2023 earthquakes, US General License 23 authorised for 180 days all earthquake relief transactions that would otherwise have been prohibited4.

What still does not arrive

  • Cuba: On 4 February 2026 the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson warned that the humanitarian situation would worsen, if not collapse, if oil needs went unmet5.

Documented examples

  • CubaOn 2 and 3 August 2026 the grid collapsed nationwide again, after three collapses within nine days in July. The government blames Washington; others point to decades of underinvestment. Some plants are more than 30 years old6.
  • CubaAccording to information given to Douhan, blackouts lasted up to 18 hours a day7.

Counterpoints: why states impose sanctions

  • Cuba: The US government justifies its measures with the policies of the Cuban government. Executive Order 14380 of 29 January 2026 cites support for hostile states and groups and the human rights record1.
  • US: On 5 May 2026 Rubio said in substance that at today’s oil prices nobody gives oil away any more; the real constraint was the end of Venezuelan deliveries8.
  • US: Ambassador Mike Waltz told the General Assembly on 28 October 2026: “There is no blockade.”9

Figures marked “according to information given to” are not the cited body’s own measurements but information presented to it.

This page is information, not legal advice. It reports what authorities, courts, governments and organisations decide and say; the views of the side imposing measures and of the side affected stand side by side. “Helfen statt Blockieren” is non-partisan. Please report errors to info@aciel-martinez-poll.com.

Sources

  1. White House, Federal Register 91 FR 5085, “Executive Order 14380: Addressing Threats to the United States by the Government of Cuba (unterzeichnet 29.1.2026)”, 3 Feb 2026. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-02-03/html/2026-02250.htm
  2. Council of the EU, Regulation (EU) 2022/2367 of 3.12.2022 (price cap on Russian crude by sea), OJ L 311 I of 3.12.2022, S. 1, 3 Dec 2022. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2367/oj
  3. UN Security Council, press release SC/15134 (9214. meeting), Report on the adoption of Resolution 2664 (2022), 9 Dec 2022. https://press.un.org/en/node/311942
  4. US Treasury, press release JY1261, “Treasury Issues Syria General License 23 To Aid In Earthquake Disaster Relief Efforts”, 9 Feb 2023. https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1261
  5. The Peninsula (AFP), “UN chief warns of humanitarian collapse in Cuba over oil shortage”, 4 Feb 2026. https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/04/02/2026/un-chief-warns-of-humanitarian-collapse-in-cuba-over-oil-shortage
  6. Al Jazeera, “Grid failure plunges Cuba into nationwide blackout”, 3 Aug 2026. https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/3/grid-failure-plunges-cuba-into-nationwide-blackout
  7. OHCHR, Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan, Preliminary findings of the visit to Cuba, end of mission statement, 11 to 21 November 2025, 21 Nov 2025. Many figures there are marked “reportedly”, i.e. based on information presented to her. https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2133521/20251121-eom-stm-cuba-sr-negative-impact-unilateral-en.pdf
  8. CiberCuba (White House press conference), “Marco Rubio dismantles the Cuban regime: “There is no oil blockade, free oil is over.””, 5 May 2026. https://en.cibercuba.com/noticias/2026-05-05-u1-e135253-s27061-nid328204-marco-rubio-desmonta-al-regimen-cubano-hay-bloqueo
  9. UN News, “Backing for UN call to end Cuba embargo falls to 20-year low”, 28 Oct 2026. https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/10/1168694

All online sources accessed on 3 November 2026.

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