Russia warned Monday that the United States is "strangling" Cuba through long-running sanctions, as well as the current de facto oil blockade on the Latin American island-nation in full force.

As a result the Kremlin is exploring ways to get urgent assistance to the Cuban people, as the economic situation and national infrastructure worsens after Havana's number one energy source, nearby Venezuela, has cut off supplies in the wake of Maduro's ouster by US military intervention.

"The situation in Cuba is indeed critical... We are aware of this, and we maintain close contact with our Cuban friends through diplomatic and other channels," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a Monday press briefing.

He added that "the stranglehold imposed by the United States is already causing a lot of difficulties for Cuba" and this has resulted in the two allies discussing "possible ways to resolve these problems or at least provide all possible assistance."

Blackouts across various parts of Cuba have persisted and even grown worse in the last weeks, given power plants are struggling to keep the lights on, as The Associated Press recently described:

The smell of sulfur hits hard in this coastal town that produces petroleum and is home to one of Cuba’s largest thermoelectric plants. Yet, even as the plant cranks back to life, residents remain in the dark, surrounded by energy sources they cannot use.

As tensions deepen between Cuba and the U.S. after it attacked Venezuela and disrupted oil shipments, so have the woes of Santa Cruz del Norte.

People in this town east of Havana are plunged into darkness daily and forced to cook with coal and firewood, but not everyone can afford this new reality.

This is after President Trump in mid-January vowed there will be "zero" oil and outside money going to Cuba, and threatened that its leaders must "make a deal, before it is too late." Washington has labeled the island a "national security threat" to the US - a viewpoint hearkening back to the Cold War.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla has lashed out, saying Cuba faces "a total blockade of energy supplies" by the US, which violates "all principles of international trade," creating "extreme life conditions" for the Cuban population.

The crisis is rapidly impacting various industries, and most recently "Cuba has warned airlines it is suspending jet fuel supplies for a month, an official at a European carrier said Sunday."

Russia isn't the only one rushing aid to the island. Mexico has been pressured to also cut energy supplies, but at the same time President Claudia Sheinbaum has reportedly ordered two Mexican naval vessels to transport over 800 tons of aid, including food and hygiene items, to Cuba.