- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned in May 2026 that Cuba poses a direct threat to national security due to the deployment of Russian and Chinese intelligence services and weapons on the island.
- Public aviation data from May 2026 revealed a significant surge in U.S. military intelligence-gathering flights, with at least 25 surveillance missions flying within 40 miles of the Cuban coast to monitor these facilities.
- The intelligence operations are centered around four key electronic surveillance sites, including Bejucal, Wajay, Calabazar, and a sophisticated signal interception antenna array at El Salao.
- A national emergency executive order was issued to restrict Cuban oil imports, citing Cuba's hosting of Russia's largest overseas signals intelligence facility at the former Lourdes complex.
United States monitors expanding Russian and Chinese intelligence operations in Cuba
May 22, 2026, 5:17:08 PM UTC(2 hours ago)
Impact: Medium
Affected Assets
Sources
From:@DeItaone
RUSSIA, CHINA HAVE BEEN EXPANDING INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS IN CUBA, SOURCES SAY
RUSSIA, CHINA INVESTED IN ELECTRONIC-EAVESDROPPING TO SPY ON U.S. MILITARY SITES IN FLORIDA, SOURCES SAY
RUSSIA, CHINA ROUGHLY TRIPLED NUMBER OF INTELLIGENCE PERSONNEL TO STAFF FACILITIES SINCE 2023, SOURCES SAY
