Russia 'to reopen Cold War Cuban listening post used to spy on America'

Daily Mail ^ | 16 July 2014 | Leon Watson

[Ooh-Ah]

Facility at Lourdes was the largest Russian listening post abroad

• It was mothballed in 2001 after relations with the U.S. warmed
• But relations with the West have deteriorated amid the Ukraine crisis
• Moscow has also shown a new interest in Latin America and Cuba
• Last week, Russia agreed to write off 90 per cent of Cuba's debt

  Russia has agreed to reopen a major Cold War listening post on Cuba that was used to spy on America, it was reported today.

  Moscow-based daily Kommersant claimed Russia and Cuba have struck a deal 'in principle' after President Vladimir Putin visited the island last week.

  Citing several sources within Russian authorities, the respected daily wrote: 'The agreements were finalised while President Vladimir Putin visited Havana last Friday.

  The signals intelligence facility near Havana at Torrens, also known as Lourdes, was the largest Russian SIGINT site abroad, but has been mothballed since 2001.

  It covered a 28 square-mile area with 1,000-1,500 Russian engineers, technicians, and military personnel working at the base. 

  Russia had closed the Lourdes spy base south of Havana on Putin's orders to save money and due to a warming of relations with the U.S. after the September 11 attacks.

[molson209]

Cold War Cuban listening post ,you mean it was not turned into a Tourist Trap

[The Sons of Liberty]

Russia 'to reopen Cold War Cuban listening post used to spy on America'

Between them and the NSA, no emails should ever be "lost" again.

[Veto!]

Russia stopped listening from Cuba? Seriously doubt it. Plus, Cuba is crawling with Chinese “businessmen.” This could get interesting.

[Raven6]

"...but has been mothballed since 2001."

My wife has been trying to get me to stop saying this... But I will go ahead and say it anyway: This is a load of crap!

Lourdes has been active before and after 2001. I have personally viewed the satellite imagery that shows it to be so (even the baseball diamond looked to be in good shape), and have heard the jamming signals transmitted there that started shortly after we went into Iraq. The old "Russian Woodpecker" jammers, as well as the old "buzz saw" jammers fired up, evidently in an attempt to hamper communications being directed out of Patrick AFB in Florida and other places.

[Buckeye McFrog]

feh...what are they gonna hear? Medical infomercials? Coast-to-Coast AM? Jim Rome?

[Ooh-Ah]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/16/1405519456648_wps_1_Russia_s_President_Vladim.jpg

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (left) hugs Cuba's President Raul Castro after a meeting at the Revolution Palace in Havana last week.

[GladesGuru]

Typical wasteful commie action.

With Obama in the White House, all they need do is ask.

Why spy?

Or are there some Russian Trough Feeder apparatchiks wanting to be posted to Cuba again?

[maxwellsmart_agent]

After the disclosure that the United States is spying even on all it’s citizens, what else can you expect. It has been disclosed that we are probably spying on them. So what argument do we have?