July 16, 2025 — Belly of the Beast
As we’ve reported, since taking his post as U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Havana, Mike Hammer has fashioned himself a social media influencer, posting selfie-style videos of himself touring the island and meeting with Cubans.
Hammer’s most recent offering mocks the high number of Russians staying at the Varadero beach resort. But he doesn’t mention how Russian tourism to Cuba has become increasingly noticeable in large part because his government’s policies have stifled tourism from the U.S. and Europe. Belly of the Beast journalist Yohan Rodríguez breaks it down:
