Putin Has Been Dealt A Painful Blow
- 15.01.2026, 18:18
Moscow has been deprived of a reason to be proud.
After the detention of dictator Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela by American forces, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling for the release of the Venezuelan leader and his wife. The publication Foreign Affairs writes about it.
The authors of the material emphasize that in practice, Moscow has not taken any real steps to support the regime, which it recently called its key strategic ally in Latin America.
The publication recalls that just seven months ago - in May 2025 - Nicolas Maduro and Vladimir Putin met in the Kremlin, where they signed an agreement on strategic partnership and cooperation. The document declared the intention to strengthen military ties and improve joint ability to counter external threats.
But, as Foreign Affairs notes, the Russian side did not warn Maduro about the impending US operation and did not provide him with any protection during the raid, in fact limiting itself to observing what was happening.
The situation in Venezuela fits a familiar pattern of Kremlin behavior that can be traced back to the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago. Engaged in a protracted war against Kiev, Moscow has very limited resources to support other authoritarian regimes.
The article also points out that in 2024, Russia did not actually intervene when the regime of its longtime ally Bashar al-Assad fell in Syria. That same year, after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran - another strategic partner - Moscow limited itself to offering mediation between the parties to the conflict.
In addition, Russia failed to provide either meaningful intelligence information or effective air defenses that could have influenced developments. In the case of Venezuela, the publication emphasizes, Moscow's assistance turned out to be even more symbolic than in the situations with Damascus and Tehran.
The authors of the material note that the fall of Maduro was a particularly painful blow for Vladimir Putin.
"Although Venezuela had long been a burden on Russian state coffers because of bad loans and unprofitable oil projects, the country still provided a source of pride: Moscow could claim to have gained a foothold in the U.S. backyard," Foreign Affairs writes.