Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel made his first public appearance in three days at a MININT military exercise on February 21, 2026, between 12:15:44 AM and 3:15:44 AM UTC, after a period of silence on social media, according to an X post by @MagJorgeCastro citing a state media report. The X post at https://x.com/MagJorgeCastro/status/2025033011771687176 states Díaz-Canel did not speak during the visit, with only a state journalist's voice-over narration heard in the report. This reappearance occurs amid Cuba's ongoing energy crisis, following a Russian fuel tanker en route to Cuba as reported by Bloomberg in the prior reporting window. No official statements from Cuban authorities confirm details of the military exercise or Díaz-Canel's activities during this three-hour period. The post criticizes the event as showing zero leadership, though state media broadcast the visit. This development follows social media reports of blackouts and empty ration stores in Havana neighborhoods like Lawton and San Miguel del Padrón on February 19-20, 2026, shared under #cubalibre2026.
