The approval for Russian troops enter Nicaraguagranted by the National Assembly, and the exaggeration of the fact that the official machinery of the Government of Vladimir Putin did, is a matter of concern for the president of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves, whose nation abolished its own army more than seven decades ago.
“Right now, we have serious concerns with Nicaragua. There is news that President Daniel Ortega invited the Russian Army to send troops and equipment to Nicaragua. We have not had an Army since 1949. Imagine how we feel: worried, with good reason,” argued the president.
This Thursday On June 9, the Official Gazette, La Gaceta, published the presidential decree in which Ortega authorizes the entry into the country of military troops, equipment, ships and aircraft “for humanitarian purposes and exercises,” in a routine activity, which in this The occasion also included soldiers from the rest of Central America, plus the United States, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
On previous occasions, it has been routine for the National Assembly to approve this type of military collaboration project in the middle of the year. In fact, Ortega’s decree also authorizes the entry of military personnel from the United States, Central American countries, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. However, on this occasion the propaganda machine at the service of Vladimir Putin, president of the Russian Federation, overdimensioned the announcement, making it look like an opportunity to put pressure on the United States, in what it considers “the backyard” of that North American nation. .
In this regard, the official Russian television presenter, Olga Skabeeva, reported that Ortega authorized the entry of Russian military troops, ships and planes to Nicaragua, for the second half of 2022. She then added that “if American missile systems, they can be close to Moscow from the territory of Ukraine, it is time for Russia to deploy something powerful closer to an American city.”
Chaves has not spoken with Ortega
This communication from the communicator generated an international stir, and it is what has the Tico president worriedwho in statements to the Voice of America, offered from the Summit of the Americas, which takes place in the city of Los Angeles, declared the feeling that this announcement generates in his nation.
“Ortega did not come to the inaugurationwe have not established contact… at this time, Costa Rica has a Nicaraguan ambassador, but we have not sent an ambassador to Nicaragua. I would love to talk to him (watch) the issue of political prisoners. That is something that Costa Ricans, due to historical tradition and natural inclination, cause us severe concern and sadness, but no. I have not spoken with him,” assured the Tico president about the lack of contact with the Nicaraguan government.
After the report, the spokeswoman for Putin’s Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, explained through the official Sputnik agency, that the announcement is a “routine procedure”, which occurs about twice a year and is related to “the temporary admission of foreign military personnel on (Nicaraguan) territory to develop cooperation in various areas, including humanitarian and emergency response, the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking.”
According to the decree, training, nothing more
Upon arrival in Nicaragua, Russian troops are expected to participate in training and exchange exercises, humanitarian aid operations, search, rescue and rescue missions in emergency situations or natural disasters, both with the Humanitarian and Rescue Unit of the National Army, as with the rest of the the land forces, the Air Force and the Nicaraguan Naval Force.
There is also an “exchange of experiences, training, operations against illegal activities in maritime spaces in the Caribbean Sea and jurisdictional waters in the Pacific Ocean of Nicaragua, with the Naval Force of the Nicaraguan Army”, in addition to participation with the Naval Force , Air Force and Transmission Corps in exchange of experiences and operational communication with ships and aircraft of the Army in tasks of confrontation and fight against drug trafficking and organized crime.
However, Ortega’s decree does indicate that the participation of Russian military personnel in the country will be the broadest.
Collaboration between armies of Russia and Nicaragua
Cooperation between the armies of Russia and Nicaragua always causes controversy. Last February, a few days before the invasion against Ukraine was launched, the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Yuri Borisovvisited Nicaragua and announced the continuity of technological cooperation agreements between the Armed Forces of his country and the Nicaraguan Army, without giving more details about them.
In a special report in CONFIDENCIAL, published on February 28, On the cooperation between the Putin regime and Ortega, several military experts agreed that the information from the Ortega regime on this cooperation “is minimal”, and only the delivery of weapons mentioned by the Russian Federation is known, through the media. official communication networks like Sputnik.
There are also no precise details on the global aid of Russian cooperation to the Air Force, or any of the other national military directorates. One of the biggest examples of opacity occurred with the shipment of Russian tanks to Nicaragua in 2016.
The report of CONFIDENTIAL It also points out that the installation of a ground station that allows connection with 24 Russian satellites from a place near Laguna de Nejapa in Managua and a police training center against drug trafficking, where Central American officers are educated, points to the consolidation of the Russian presence and its projection in the region.
