Propaganda wars

Why Pentagon Mistook Russian GLONASS Station in Nicaragua For Spy Base

Reports that Russia is supposedly constructing an electronic surveillance site in Nicaragua disguised as a GLONASS satellite navigation tracking station are not grounded in reality, Russian experts and officials say.

The signals intelligence base is allegedly a part of an $80 million arms deal inked in 2015 that will see Moscow deliver 50 T-72 tanks to Managua, defense analyst Bill Gertz wrotefor the Washington Free Beacon, citing unnamed officials familiar with the arrangement. The Pentagon, he added, has been concerned with these developments.

The sources did not say when the site is expected to become operational. No details have been provided on the location of the spy base, but unconfirmed reports suggest that “the site could be disguised as a Russian GLONASS satellite navigation tracking station that is said to be nearing completion,” Gertz added.