
The U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, described as ineffective the Russian air defense systems possessed by Venezuela, following a U.S. military operation in Caracas that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
According to him, nearly 200 American soldiers entered the center of the capital without facing significant resistance, indicating that the Russian air defense system did not prevent the operation.
The operation, carried out on January 3 by U.S. special forces, resulted in the arrest of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were taken to the United States under charges of narcoterrorism and drug trafficking.
Released images showed the destruction of launch units of the Russian-made Buk-M2E surface-to-air missile system that protected the La Carlota air base, as well as a mobile command post of the same system.
The U.S. government emphasized that the mission was completed without casualties among its troops, despite the extensive defensive arsenal maintained by Venezuela, including modern Russian systems and reinforcements along the country’s coast. Analysts note that the effectiveness of the equipment also depends on training and operational integration — factors that may have influenced the performance of the Russian systems during the operation.
Source: Militarnyi | Photo: X @nexta_tv | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
Hegseth:
Three nights ago, in downtown Caracas in Venezuela, nearly 200 of our greatest Americans went downtown in Caracas, seems those Russian air defenses didn’t work quite so well, did they? pic.twitter.com/dnsxdqnZ9R
— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 5, 2026
Russia’s “Buk” failed and fell in an unequal fight: footage of damaged equipment in Venezuela after the U.S. strikes
According to available information, Venezuela had 12 Russian-made 9K317E Buk-M2E air defense systems in service — the contract dates back to 2015.
🔻 During the… pic.twitter.com/C3C3H8kCtv
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) January 3, 2026
