Speaking about the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, US President Donald Trump called the operation of the US military "an incredible spectacle" and "one of the most impressive, effective and powerful in American history."
The military details of the operation were presented by the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kaine. More than 150 combat and reconnaissance aircraft took part in the operation, including F-35 fighters, B-1 strategic bombers and attack helicopters. No losses were incurred - thanks in part to the operational blockade of Caracas' air defenses.
Venezuelan air defenses are largely Russian-made, which Maduro himself boasted about just a few months before the US military operation, engaging in a verbal spat with Trump. However, these defense systems proved to be ineffective. Why?
Reisner: "Ideal combination of factors"
"It seems that Russian air defense has not been very successful", US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ironically noted.
"From a purely technical point of view, Russian air defense systems could show significantly better results, which military analysts observe when they are used on Russian territory", Austrian military expert Colonel Markus Reisner told DW. "It was practically an ideal combination of factors. First, a classic SEAD operation was carried out - to suppress the enemy's air defense system", he explains. Second, cyberattacks were carried out against the air defense command and control system. The third factor for success may be the presence of a US insider in the Venezuelan leadership, Reisner suggests.
Which Russian air defense systems were supposed to protect Venezuela?
According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), only in the period from 2008 to 2014, Russia delivered to Venezuela three complexes each of the “Buk-M2” and the S-300VM ”Antey-2500”, as well as 11 modernized S-125 ”Pechora-2M”. In 2015, then-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was even awarded the Order of Merit in the Field of National Security in Venezuela.
However, SIPRI data is incomplete due to the secret nature of arms export reports. In reality, according to analysts, there were even more Russian air defense systems of various ranges in Venezuela. Over the past 20 years, Venezuela has purchased no less than 17 large anti-aircraft missile systems and numerous portable air defense systems from Russia, creating, as was believed, one of the most saturated echeloned systems of this type in Latin America.
In October 2024, Russia delivered additional self-propelled anti-aircraft systems “Pantsir“, “Buk-M2“ and portable Igla-S air defense systems, which Maduro boasted about. "All the armed forces in the world know the power of the Igla-S missile, and Venezuela has no less than 5,000 of these missiles," he said in October 2025.
"Venezuela's air defense, based on Russian systems and complexes, combined with the Chinese radar system for detecting air attacks, was the strongest in Latin America, which is not surprising, because most countries on the continent are not particularly afraid of air attacks," explains military expert Yuri Fedorov.
What happened to the Russian air defense in Venezuela during the US attack?
The US military operation began with a cyberattack that cut off power to a significant part of Caracas, allowing 150 US aircraft, drones and helicopters to approach the capital unnoticed. In order to ensure a safe corridor, six air defense sites covering Caracas were hit, writes “The Washington Post“. The port of La Guaira, the La Carlota air base, the Fuerte Tiuna military base, the Higuerota airport, and the El Vulcan communications center in the mountains were hit. Judging by the published footage, at least two launchers of the “Buk“ anti-aircraft missile system were destroyed.
At the same time, as Western military analysts note, a significant part of Venezuela's air defense system was out of order due to many years of poor maintenance and lack of spare parts, including due to Russia's failure to fulfill its obligations for repairs and modernization. As a result, at the time of the attack, only a small part of the existing systems was operational.
According to the “Washington Post“, after the buildup of US military power in the Caribbean, Maduro has asked Russia and China to provide him with missiles, aircraft, drones and radars. However, Moscow's interest in Venezuela has significantly decreased in recent years, which is also evident in the current crisis, the American publication notes.
A video from the night of the attack shows that Venezuelan military personnel fired a missile from the “Igla-S” portable anti-aircraft complex, but it did not hit its target. Theoretically, “Igla-S” could pose a serious problem for low-flying helicopters, but a video filmed by locals shows US helicopters circling over Caracas without encountering any resistance from air defenses. The inability of the military to use this defensive means shows that their resistance was minimal, the German magazine “Spiegel“ points out.
The operation, which lasted a total of two hours, ended with the capture of Maduro without losses - only one helicopter was damaged, which nevertheless managed to return to base.
What are the reasons for the failure of the Russian air defense?
According to Fedorov, the failure of the air defense can be explained by the fact that the attack used the latest generation American fighter-bombers F-35 and F-22. “These are fifth-generation aircraft that are very difficult to detect on radar. Theoretically, they could suppress the air defense system, simply destroying it from the air, as happened in Iran during the 12-day war. Fifth-generation aircraft allow air defense systems, including the Russian S-400, to be overcome quite easily, the expert explains.
“Ground defense systems, especially Russian ones, have a built-in disadvantage in opposing modern aviation, which is impossible to overcome“, says military analyst Daniel Bakhmat in an interview with “Telegraph“. According to him, air defense cannot oppose the combination of real-time intelligence, electronic warfare and high-precision weapons. “In 2022, few people thought so, but in the meantime we already have confirmations from Iran, Venezuela and to some extent from the war in Ukraine“, says Bakhmat.
Another problem pointed out by analysts is the mountainous terrain of Caracas. The Russian air defense system is designed for flat terrain, while the mountainous coastal landscape of Venezuela can hide low-flying aircraft and missiles, notes “Telegraph“.
The human factor
In addition to the technical shortcomings of the air defense, the inability of the Venezuelan military to respond to the attack also played a decisive role. The United States struck key nodes of the command, control and communications of the country's armed forces, and their loss led to disorganization among the air defense units and ground forces. Therefore, for several hours after the strikes, no coordinated actions were recorded, writes the American military publication “Defense Blog“.
According to Yuri Fedorov, the main reason for the inability of the Venezuelan air defense to resist the Americans was indeed the human factor. "The issue is not so much the technical capabilities of one side or the other, but the fact that the Venezuelan armed forces simply missed the attack because they did not expect it. I think this is an obvious human factor," says the military expert. Markus Reisner shares this opinion. Although the export versions of Russian air defense systems have somewhat more limited capabilities, the key factor is not only the weapon, but the people who operate it, adds the Austrian expert.
Author: Daniil Sotnikov