Wednesday, March 27

The presence of Russian troops in Nicaragua raises concern in Central America


Correspondent in Managua

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The echoes of the war between Russia and Ukraine have reached Central America in the form of propaganda. The new controversy in the Kremlin arose after the publication of a presidential decree authorizing the entry of troops of nine nationalities, including Cubans, Venezuelans and Russians, into the national territory for “humanitarian activities.”

The process, considered on the agenda of the Nicaraguan National Assembly as routine, became a stir after the presenter’s statements Olga Skabeeva, from Russian state television. “If the American missile systems can almost reach Moscow from the Ukrainian territory, it is time for Russia to deploy something powerful closer to the American city on a hill,” the spokeswoman said after releasing the news of the entry authorization sent by Daniel Ortega at the beginning of June.

On June 14, the deputies of the Parliament, controlled by the ruling party, ratified the entry of troops as of July 1, of “cash, military equipment, ships and aircraft” from Russia, United States, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico and the Confederation of Central American Armed Forces, for “carrying out military exercises for humanitarian purposes.”

Skabeeva’s statements, added to the presence of Russian troops, are branded by Washington as a “provocation”, according to the Undersecretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs of the United States Department of State, brian nicholsafter finishing the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.

“Inviting the Russian forces for exercises, even if they are humanitarian, at a time when that country is invading a neighboring country and incurring human rights violations in Ukraine, seems to us to be a provocation by the Nicaraguan government and regime and something a little dangerous for us,” he said.

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secrecy

Although the entry of foreign troops is renewed from time to time in the National Assembly, the Nicaraguan regime has not disclosed the results of these incursions, therefore it is impossible to verify whether the presence of the military is justified. In Managua there is a Russian satellite station operating in Nejapaand a police training center in Las Colinas, two exclusive areas of the capital and heavily guarded by the Army.

“The last approved entry was in December 2021. Nothing is known of the results of the exercises, of the cooperation that took place at that time. The only thing that has been said is that foreign troops will enter to carry out certain missions, but the results are not known. In the Annual Report of the Army, the only thing that is said is the reference to the entry of the troops and the exercises in which they participated, “said Roberto Cajina, an expert on security issues and one of the most authorized voices to speak on the subject, in the television program This Week.

Cajina considers that the presence of the Russians in Nicaragua does not represent any danger for the United States, but he does fear that the secrecy around the missions and the points located in the country will be used to espionage and intelligence work.

“But that information is collected here, transferred to Moscow. There the intelligence agencies receive that information, process it, analyze it and decide what they are going to do with it. What I do not have information is if there is any relationship between the base personnel and the Army personnel, “added the expert in the interview.

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Nicaragua and Russia have strengthened their ties after the authoritarian turn of the Sandinista regime, and the ignorance of the electoral results by the majority of Western countries. Vladimir Putin has become Ortega’s ideological ally and through him maintains a strong tentacle in the region.

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