The Russian aviation authority on February 11 announced that two airlines operating routes to Cuba will operate flights only carrying return passengers to bring tourists back home before temporarily suspending services.
The decision was made after Cuba warned that it was running out of aircraft fuel, directly threatening the tourism industry - one of the key economic sectors of the island nation.
The Canadian national airline also said it would temporarily suspend flights to Cuba due to fuel crises. Some other airlines announced that they had to adjust routes, bringing aircraft to airports in neighboring Caribbean countries for refueling.
The Russian tourism agency said that there are currently about 4,000 Russian tourists in Cuba. Many of these are state employees. Cuba - a long-time ally of the Kremlin - is still one of the few destinations that Russian officials are allowed to visit under strict security regulations.
The agency also announced that it would temporarily suspend all new travel packages to Cuba. On online chat groups, some Russian tourists in Cuba reflected on the situation of fuel distribution according to norms and public transport cuts as the shortage became deeper.
Some people said they were moved to lower-standard hotels but with more stable power.
Developments in Cuba are said to stem from the move of the US President Donald Trump's administration last month, which essentially created an oil embargo against this island nation.
The most recent recorded oil shipment was a tanker from Mexico arriving at a Cuban port in early January, but Mexico stopped exporting amid pressure from the US.
At the same time, crude oil from Venezuela was also disrupted after a US campaign in January led to the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro, thereby cutting off supply from Cuba's most important energy partner.
The Kremlin on February 10 described the fuel situation in Cuba as serious, saying that the US's efforts to "squeeze" Cuba are causing many difficulties.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared that Russia is united with Cuba and "will provide our friends with all necessary support along with our like-minded partners".
However, the specific form of support has not been clarified in the context that the Kremlin is conducting sensitive negotiations with the US administration, while Russia's political and military focus is still focused on the conflict in Ukraine.
