The State Department moved Thursday to choke off a weapons pipeline it says runs from Havana's military straight through Moscow and Beijing, adding five Cuban companies and eight government officials to its sanctions list. Secretary of State Marco Rubio framed the action as the latest strike against the network that keeps Cuba's armed forces supplied with foreign hardware, according to a fact sheet the State Department released alongside the announcement. It's the fourth distinct round of sanctions tied to Cuba's military and security sector since May, and it's aimed squarely at the machinery that keeps Russian-built helicopters flying and Chinese equipment flowing onto the island.
