(CARACAS, VENEZUELA) – The geopolitical landscape shifted significantly on Saturday, 3 January 2026, following a direct United States military intervention in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
The operation, termed “Absolute Resolve” by the White House, involved targeted strikes on military infrastructure in the capital, including the La Carlota air base and the Fuerte Tiuna military complex. Following these strikes, US special operations forces extracted Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from Caracas.
The pair was subsequently flown to New York to face long standing federal charges, including narcoterrorism and cocaine importation conspiracy.
The removal of the Venezuelan leader has exposed a profound vulnerability in the security guarantees offered by the Kremlin. For years, the Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, provided Caracas with sophisticated air defence systems, aircraft, and high-ranking military advisers to maintain the regime’s grip on power.
However, these defences appeared to offer little resistance against the rapid US incursion. Observers in Ukraine have noted the irony of the situation, drawing comparisons between the swiftness of the Caracas mission and the Russian dictator’s stalled “special military operation” in Ukraine, which has now persisted for nearly four years since the 2022 escalation.
In Moscow, the Kremlin has reacted with predictable condemnation, describing the arrest as “armed aggression” and a violation of international law. Reports suggest that Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez may have fled to the Russian capital, which has increasingly become a sanctuary for deposed authoritarian figures such as Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and Ukraine’s Viktor Yanukovych.
Skeptics suggest that the Russian dictator may lack the financial and military resources to mount a meaningful response, as the Russian economy continues to struggle under the weight of the ongoing war in Ukraine and international sanctions.
The political vacuum in Caracas comes at a sensitive time for global energy markets and strategic alliances. Venezuela holds some of the world’s largest proven oil reserves, and the sudden change in leadership could disrupt supply chains, particularly for China, which has historically relied on Venezuelan crude. The United States has indicated it will support a transition to the legitimately elected opposition, led by figures like María Corina Machado, though the potential for domestic turbulence remains high.
