By Smartencyclopedia with Agencies*
In a controversial move, President Daniel Ortega has greenlit the construction of a Russian-financed police “Instruction Center” in Managua, raising alarm among national security experts who believe the facility will serve as a front for a Russian spy agency. This development comes as part of a broader strategy to bolster Nicaragua’s surveillance capabilities with advanced Russian technology.
Earlier this year, in March, Ortega authorized the Russian regime to establish this center, despite the existence of another similar facility. Experts suggest that the new center at the Mokoron base could offer substantial value to both the Nicaraguan and Russian governments by enhancing the radio direction-finding system already installed in the country. This system, coupled with the System for Operational Research Activities (SORM-3), represents a significant upgrade in the regime’s surveillance apparatus.
A cybersecurity expert explained that the direction-finding system at the Mokoron base can detect and physically locate electronic signals. When combined with SORM-3, this system not only tracks devices but also intercepts and monitors all their activity. The data collected, which includes phone calls, emails, text messages, social media interactions, and even credit card transactions, can be stored and analyzed to create detailed “internet portraits” of targeted individuals.
This sophisticated tool has reportedly been used for phone and internet surveillance since 2018, enabling the Ortega regime to keep tabs on its citizens with the assistance of Russian technology experts. A study by Douglas Farah and Marianne Richardson revealed that SORM-3 technology is part of a network operated by groups with deep ties to Russian intelligence, including former Soviet KGB agents specializing in cryptology and cyber operations.
The expert highlighted the complicity of internet service providers in this widespread espionage, urging these companies to disclose the extent of their cooperation with the government. Under Nicaraguan law, phone tapping is technically allowed with judicial approval, but the judiciary is widely seen as being under the control of the Ortega regime, raising concerns about the legality and ethicality of such surveillance.
The installation of Russian antennas and equipment at military bases across Nicaragua, including those at Cerro Mokorón, underscores the deepening ties between the Ortega government and Russian intelligence. This collaboration has significantly enhanced the regime’s ability to conduct political surveillance, which has been a growing concern since the installation of 39 “fake antennas” across the country. These devices, known as IMSI-Catchers, act as “fake antennas” to intercept mobile phone signals and capture a wide range of user data, including locations, text messages, and phone call metadata.
The use of such technologies by the Ortega government has drawn international criticism, particularly following reports by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that similar surveillance tools have been employed to persecute human rights activists, members of the LGBT community, and critics of the government.
Political surveillance in Nicaragua has a long history, with reports of espionage dating back to 2017. That year, the Citizen Lab Institute at the University of Toronto included Nicaragua in its list of Latin American countries engaging in covert surveillance of their citizens. The subsequent installation of Russian equipment at various Nicaraguan military bases has only intensified these activities, with Cerro Mokorón emerging as a focal point for Russian intelligence operations in the region.
As Nicaragua’s surveillance state continues to expand with Russian assistance, the implications for civil liberties and political freedom in the country remain deeply troubling.