Ukraine strikes on Russian oil ports tighten U.S. blockade of Cuba

Ukraine struck Russia’s oil ports. That blow lands on Cuba, cutting off the fuel the island needs.

Between March 22 and March 31, Ukrainian forces struck the ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk multiple times, damaging storage tanks and loading infrastructure and forcing partial shutdowns. Together, the two ports handle a major share of Russia’s seaborne oil exports.

Only one oil shipment has reached Cuba since December, breaking through the U.S. blockade. That shipment departed Russia’s Port of Primorsk on March 8 and arrived on March 30. The Russian tanker, which carried roughly 730,000 barrels of crude, docked at the port of Matanzas, delivering only a few weeks’ worth of fuel for the island.

With the Baltic oil ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk damaged, no second shipment to Cuba can be loaded, and repairs are expected to take weeks.

Ukraine struck Russia’s oil ports. That blow lands on Cuba, tightening the U.S. blockade.