MOSCOW'S 007 SPY LAIR Vladimir Putin has set up secret Russian spy base in Nicaragua monitoring American agents, US fears – amid concerns over ‘mystery compound’

CIA is reported to have sent dozens of Russian-speaking Cold War experts to keep track of Moscow's actions in Central America.

US officials fear Vladimir Putin could be spying on them using a James Bond villain-style lair right on their doorstep.

American agents have been tracking a flurry of activity on a Russian base on the edge of a volcano in Nicaragua.

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US officials fear a secretive Russian base in Nicaragua is being used to spy on its nearby embassy

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The secret jungle base is located on the edge of a volcano crater

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The base is barely ten miles from the US Embassy in the country, pictured

And some fear the complex is Russia’s latest attempt to ruffle feathers in the Central American Cold War stomping ground.

One told The Washington Post: “Clearly there’s been a lot of activity, and it’s on the uptick now.”

Officially, the base – in Laguna de Nejapa – is a tracking site for Moscow’s GPS satellite system.But CIA heads are believed to fear the complex is being used to spy on the American embassy just ten miles away.

Such is the level of suspicion held by US spy chiefs, that The Times reports it has been sending Russian-speaking experts and Cold War experts to Central American in recent months.

Locals told the paper about rumours of a spy centre at the mysterious jungle compound.

One said: “They are Russian, and they speak Russian, and they carry around Russian apparatuses.”

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EPA

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US President Donald Trump has clashed with Russia over Syria

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Russian premier Vladimir Putin was angered by US strikes against his ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria

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President Putin angered with US attack in Syria labelling it a 'Trumped up pre-text'

Around 250 members of the Russian military are estimated to be present at the site.

Washington and Moscow have a long and bloody relationship over the troubled nation.

The US backed rebel group the Contras after dictator Anastazio Somoza was overthrown by left-wing Soviet-supported rebels the Sandanistas in 1979.

Tens of thousands were killed in the ensuing civil war.

The revelation comes as tensions between Russia and the US reach boiling point following Donald Trump's decision to bomb Moscow-backed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.