The Lourdes SIGINT facility, located near Havana, Cuba, was the largest signals intelligence installation operated by Soviet and later Russian foreign intelligence services outside of Russia. Constructed beginning in July 1962, this massive complex covered approximately 73 square kilometers and was situated less than 150 kilometers from Key West, Florida. The facility played a crucial role in Cold War intelligence gathering, monitoring communications across the Caribbean and beyond.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, the site would have been of particular strategic importance as tensions between the United States and Soviet Union reached their peak.