Cuba is sliding further into crisis as a six-month US oil blockade, part of Washington's campaign to topple the communist government, compounds an already fragile electricity system and worsening social order. The national grid has collapsed three times in ten days, and with summer temperatures in the mid-30s, nightly power cuts have driven residents to bang pots and pans in protest, reflecting mounting frustration over lost sleep, spoiled food and dwindling hope of relief.

Cuba's energy minister says there is a "total absence of fuel" and no access to spare parts for thermoelectric plants, while officials blame decades-old infrastructure as much as the blockade. The pressure campaign has intensified since the US military detained Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro in January, with Donald Trump vowing to bring down Cuba too, and sanctions have driven out foreign firms including hotel operators, airlines and shipping companies. Crime is also rising sharply in what was once one of Latin America's safest countries, with muggings and break-ins increasing as police become scarcer, while a Florida court has charged 95-year-old Raúl Castro with murder, raising fears of a Venezuela-style intervention.