Russia sends two humanitarian aid planes to Cuba, one of which has a million masks

Russia announced on Saturday that it had sent two humanitarian aid planes to Cuba, including one million masks, to help cope with the significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and economic sanctions from the United States.

On the orders of President Vladimir Putin, two Russian Defense Ministry un-124 ‘Ruslan’ planes departed from the Chakalovsky airfield near Moscow, “Cuba is a longtime ally,” the ministry said in a press release.

“The planes deliver food, personal protective equipment and one million medical masks to Cuba. In total, more than 88 tons,” he said.

The island of 11 million inhabitants is currently experiencing increasing pollution and deaths from COVID-19: 316,383 and 2,203, respectively, since the outbreak began, according to official figures Friday.

In addition to this situation, there are financial difficulties caused by the historic sanctions of the United States. Washington on Thursday imposed mainly symbolic economic sanctions on the Cuban defense minister.

The United States explained these sanctions through the repression of the recent “peaceful and democratic protests” in Cuba and threatened the island’s communist authorities with further punitive measures.

“We’re hungry!” “,” Down with dictatorship! Protests took place in Cuba on July 11 and continued sporadically the next day.

At the end of these rallies, one person was killed and dozens injured, with about 100 people arrested, according to various opposition organizations.

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