Russian, Chinese, and Iranian Influence in Nicaragua
This page examines the distinct roles each country plays in assisting the Ortega-Murillo regime.
China is a major lender, Russia is not.
As a caution, these numbers should not be added together. Loan commitments, commercial contracts, booked spending, disbursements and debt stocks measure different things and sometimes overlap. Loan commitments (Figure 2), commercial contracts Nicaragua pays for, booked budget spending, disbursements and debt stocks measure different things and overlap. The Bluefields port contracts (US$210.4 million, 2026) and the Punta Huete access road (US$72.0 million, 2025) are commercial contracts paid by Nicaragua’s transport ministry, not loans. Chinese housing, police gear and training, and all Russian security cooperation have no public dollar value; their absence from the chart does not mean they are small.