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Politics71 outlets ran this5 min read

US sanctions five Cuban entities and eight individuals over military procurement

The measures target Cuba’s Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and its ties to Russia, China and Iran

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
US sanctions five Cuban entities and eight individuals over military procurement

What this story says

  • The US sanctioned five Cuban entities and eight individuals on 6 August 2026 under Executive Order 14404, signed by President Donald Trump in May 2024.
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the sanctioned parties were involved in procuring military equipment for Cuba’s Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR).
  • The sanctions target Cuba’s military ties with Russia, China and Iran, including military attachés based in those countries.
  • No left-rated outlet carried the story, according to the reports below.

Who covered it

Left 32%(13)Centre 24%(10)Right 44%(18)

Percentages are shares of the 41 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 30 of the 71 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

86/100

Craft

95/100

Hype

15/100

71 sources · methodology

Missing from the left

Only 13 of the 41 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.

A reader who follows the left would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.

The United States imposed sanctions on five Cuban entities and eight individuals on 6 August 2026. The measures were taken under Executive Order 14404, signed by President Donald Trump in May 2024. The order authorises sanctions against individuals and organisations accused of repression in Cuba and threats to US national security.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions in a statement. He said the sanctioned parties were involved in procuring military equipment for Cuba’s Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) and its security forces. The entities include subsidiaries of the military conglomerate GAESA, a military holding company and a military aircraft repair business, as reported by WTVB.

The individuals sanctioned include Alvaro Lopez Miera, Cuba’s minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, and Roberto Legra Sotolongo, chief of the General Staff, according to the US State Department as reported by WTVB. Cuba’s military attachés to Russia and China were also sanctioned. Waldo Perez Cortes, Cuba’s military, naval and air attaché in Beijing, was named by the South China Morning Post.

Rubio said in the statement that Cuba serves as a staging ground for Russia, China and Iran for operations against the US. He warned third parties that supporting the sanctioned entities could result in additional US penalties. Cuba’s authorities did not respond to a request for comment, as reported by WTVB.

What the reports disagree on

Anadolu Ajansı reported that Rubio described Cuba as a "state sponsor of terrorism" in his statement. No other report below carried that phrase. Anadolu Ajansı also reported that Rubio said Cuba "spies on America, arms violent left-wing radicals, [and] spreads poisonous Marxist ideology". The other reports did not include those claims.

What the coverage left out

None of the right-rated digests or reports mentioned the US declaration of a national emergency this year that would impose tariffs on any country supplying oil to Cuba. None of the centre-rated digests or reports quoted Rubio’s statement that Cuba is a "state sponsor of terrorism". No left-rated outlet ran the story at all.

Tags:#USSanctions#CubaMilitary#MarcoRubio#USForeignPolicy#LatinAmerica#RussiaChinaTies

Coverage settled. We checked this 9 times and stopped on 12 Aug 2026, 05:16. The figures above are what it finished at.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

13 rated outlets

  • The left-rated outlets reported that the US sanctioned five Cuban entities and eight individuals for military procurement links to Russia and China. All seven digests named the Cuban Minister of the Armed Forces, General Álvaro López Miera, and the Chief of Staff as targets. Six mentioned the sanctions’ connection to weapons acquisition or maintenance.
  • Four digests specified that the measures followed a US national emergency declaration on oil supplies to Cuba. Three noted the inclusion of military attachés in China and Russia. Two linked the sanctions to Cuban recruitment of fighters for the war in Ukraine, citing Bloomberg as the source.
  • None of the digests described the sanctions as intended to pressure Cuba for political reform. The Independent and Al Jazeera led on Senator Marco Rubio’s role in the measures. Le Monde and La Presse focused on the military figures and supply networks targeted.

Centre

10 rated outlets

  • The six centre-rated digests and reports led on the names of the sanctioned individuals and entities. Reuters, The Mighty 790 KFGO, Market Screener and Breaking The News carried the US Treasury Department’s statement that the sanctions targeted eight individuals and five entities. WTVB named Alvaro Lopez Miera, Roberto Legra Sotolongo and Cuba’s military attachés to Russia and China. The South China Morning Post led on Waldo Perez Cortes, Cuba’s military attaché in Beijing.
  • WTVB reported that the sanctions targeted subsidiaries of GAESA, a military holding company and a military aircraft repair business. It also reported that the sanctions followed the US declaration of a national emergency this year, which would impose tariffs on any country supplying oil to Cuba. None of the other centre-rated digests mentioned the oil tariffs or the national emergency declaration.

Right

18 rated outlets

  • The five right-rated digests and reports led on Cuba’s military ties with Russia, China and Iran. La Razón’s digest said the sanctions targeted the Cuban military leadership for its ties with those countries. Globo’s digest said the sanctions were imposed on individuals accused of helping Cuba maintain relations with foreign military forces, including Havana’s military aides in China and Russia. La Nación’s digest said the sanctions targeted the minister of the Cuban Armed Forces and five military companies for arms purchases.
  • Anadolu Ajansı’s full report quoted Rubio’s statement that Cuba is a "state sponsor of terrorism" and that it "spies on America, arms violent left-wing radicals, [and] spreads poisonous Marxist ideology". It also quoted Rubio’s warning that third parties supporting the sanctioned entities could face additional US penalties. The Straits Times’ digest said the sanctions targeted individuals who help Cuba secure weapons and maintain relationships with foreign militaries.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover US sanctions five Cuban entities and eight individuals over military…?
Of the 41 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 32% are rated left, 24% are rated centre, 44% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 71. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is US sanctions five Cuban entities and eight individuals over military… left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 41 rated outlets on this story, 32% are rated left, 24% are rated centre, 44% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of US sanctions five Cuban entities and eight individuals over military… biased?
US sanctions five Cuban entities and eight individuals over military procurement is one event reported by 71 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting US sanctions five Cuban entities and eight individuals over military…?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered US sanctions five Cuban entities and eight individuals over military…?
71 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
Who was sanctioned by the US on 6 August 2026?
The US sanctioned five Cuban entities and eight individuals, including Alvaro Lopez Miera, Cuba’s minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, and Roberto Legra Sotolongo, chief of the General Staff. The sanctions also targeted Cuba’s military attachés to Russia and China, including Waldo Perez Cortes in Beijing.
Why did the US impose sanctions on Cuba?
The US said the sanctioned parties were involved in procuring military equipment for Cuba’s Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuba serves as a staging ground for Russia, China and Iran for operations against the US.
Which outlets reported that Cuba is a state sponsor of terrorism?
Anadolu Ajansı reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Cuba as a "state sponsor of terrorism" in his statement. No other report below carried that phrase.
Did any left-rated outlet report the sanctions?
No left-rated outlet ran the story, according to the reports below. The coverage was carried by centre-rated and right-rated outlets only.

Read it at the source

71 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

13
Show 5 more

Centre

10
Show 2 more

Right

18
Show 10 more

Not rated

30
Show 22 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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