The United States has imposed new sanctions on five Cuban entities and eight individuals, including Defence Minister Alvaro Lopez Miera and military attachés to Russia and China. Announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on August 6, 2026, the measures target Cuba's weapons procurement networks and subsidiaries of the military conglomerate GAESA. The action escalates the Trump administration's 'maximum pressure' campaign, which has severely impacted Cuba's economy and energy grid.
US sanctions Cuban officials
- ▪The United States government imposed sanctions on five Cuban entities and eight individuals on August 6, 2026, for facilitating weapons procurement and military relationships with foreign powers.
- ▪The individuals sanctioned on August 6, 2026, include Cuban Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces Alvaro Lopez Miera and Chief of the General Staff Roberto Legra Sotolongo.
- ▪U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the August 6, 2026, designations under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on May 1, 2026, which expanded sanctions against Cuban government officials.
- ▪The August 6, 2026, sanctions target Cuba's military attachés to Russia and China, Monica Milian Gomez and Waldo Perez Cortes, for their roles in procuring military equipment.
Cuban military procurement activities
- ▪The U.S. State Department sanctioned Union de Industria Militar for working with Russian defense entities to modernize Russian-origin weapons systems and manufacturing weapons for Cuba's armed forces.
- ▪The U.S. State Department sanctioned Cuban state-owned entities Tecnoimport and Sociedad Mercantil Duna SA for importing military-related equipment from China and Russia.
- ▪The U.S. State Department sanctioned Empresa Militar Industrial Yuri Gagarin and Tecnotex for their roles in repairing and maintaining Cuba's fleet of Russian-origin military aircraft.
GAESA military conglomerate control
- ▪The August 6, 2026, sanctions targeted subsidiaries of GAESA, a Cuban military holding company and conglomerate that controls approximately 40 percent of Cuba's economy.
- ▪The August 6, 2026, sanctions build upon earlier designations enacted in 2026 that directly targeted GAESA and the Cuban Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.
Cuba hosting adversary operations
- ▪U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the Cuban government of serving as a staging ground for Russia, China, and Iran to conduct intelligence and military operations against the United States.
- ▪A U.S. State Department report released on July 20, 2026, titled 'Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism,' asserted that Russia and China provide Cuba with military hardware and surveillance technology.
Trump maximum pressure campaign
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro on murder charges on May 20, 2026.
- ▪Following a U.S. military operation in Venezuela on January 3, 2026, that removed Nicolás Maduro, Cuba lost its subsidized Venezuelan oil supply, worsening its energy crisis.
- ▪The Trump administration's 'maximum pressure' policy has escalated economic restrictions on Cuba, including a national emergency declaration that imposed tariffs on countries supplying oil to the island.
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