In use 1962–2001 | Year built 1962 | |
 | ||
Condition Partially demolished/Converted scheduled for a reopening | ||
The Lourdes SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) facility, located near Havana, Cuba, was the largest facility of its kind operated by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service or SVR, outside of Russia. Located less than 150 km (93 mi) from Key West, the facility covered 73 km2 (28 sq mi). Construction began in July 1962.
The station was closed in August 2002.
All station facilities were shut down, the buildings were abandoned and later reconstructed to become what is now the University of Information Science.
At its peak during the Cold War, the facility was staffed by over 1,500 KGB, GRU, Cuban DGI, and Eastern Bloc technicians, engineers and intelligence operatives. In 2000, it was reported that China signed an agreement with the Cuban government to share use of the facility for its own intelligence agency.
The base was closed in 2001. Russia had paid Cuba a $200m annual subsidy to this point since 1962.
In July 2014, reports surfaced that Russia and Cuba agreed to reopen the facility for usage by Russian intelligence. However, "Russia Today" later removed their original story and replaced it with one denying there was such an agreement.
In popular culture
The station was a key plot device in the August 28, 2012 episode of the USA television network series Covert Affairs episode "Loving the Alien".