Venezuela Started Blaming Russia.

• 14.01.2026, 14:14

Moscow has effectively surrendered Maduro.

Venezuelan officials' entourage have expressed frustration with Moscow's stance in informal conversations, reproaching the Kremlin for its inability and lack of desire to protect its ally, former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, who was captured earlier this year by U.S. special forces. This Bloomberg was reported by sources familiar with the situation.

Venezuelan officials, as well as representatives of Russian and Cuban intelligence services that Caracas had counted on for help, said intelligence systems failed to identify security vulnerabilities or warn of an impending threat. This happened despite repeated public statements by U.S. President Donald Trump about his intention to bring about a change of power in Venezuela.

Separate claims also concern Russian air defense systems. According to the agency's sources, the S-300 and Buk-M2 anti-aircraft systems have failed in protecting the country's airspace from the US military. At the same time, according to the interlocutors, Russia did not provide the necessary technical support, without which the effective operation of these systems was impossible.

Problems, as noted by Venezuelan officials, have also arisen in the field of cyber security, where the country largely depended on Russian specialists. The U.S. cyberattacks that preceded the operation to capture Maduro led to widespread power outages in Caracas, which authorities assessed as further evidence of the vulnerability of the existing defense system.