The Venezuelan Armed Forces have been actively publicizing on social media their preparations to defend themselves against a possible US offensive across the country, as tensions with the Trump administration increase.
This Saturday (29), Venezuelan airspace should be considered completely closed. , who classified the speech as a “colonialist threat”.
Experts say Venezuela’s new and exaggerated show of force, which included low-altitude fighter jet overflights over major cities and live ammunition exercises off the coast, is aimed at attracting attention to the country’s military capabilities.
A CNN analyzed footage of Venezuelan military forces, verified social media videos and other open-source data since early September to explore how dictator Nicolás Maduro’s regime exhibits comparative modesty during tension with the US.
US preparations were met with demonstrations of US air and naval power in the Caribbean, including an “attack demonstration” this Thursday (27) that featured a reconnaissance aircraft, an attack aircraft and a bomber, among other aircraft.
“The United States is obviously the dominant force. There are no surprises there. But we shouldn’t be careless,” Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program at CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies), told CNN. He emphasized that no one should underestimate Venezuelan capabilities.
Berg believes that, although at a disadvantage in , this could become an existential struggle for the Maduro regime — and it’s clear that Venezuela is preparing for every possibility.
Reinforcing the capital of Venezuela
The Venezuelan capital, Caracas, is being fortified with new layers of defense.
Along the Caracas-La Guaira highway, a critical route connecting the Caribbean coast to Caracas, a series of concrete “hedgehog” anti-vehicle barriers have been expanded.
Venezuelan authorities published images earlier this month of the highway, which were verified by CNNshowing dozens of the concrete obstacles next to heavy machinery with the military logo.
While the exact date of installation remains uncertain, recent satellite images show these obstacles strategically placed near a crucial point where armored vehicles would be forced to slow down.
The location is no coincidence: The narrow corridor is the only practical land route for any invading force to reach the capital, according to experts.
In a televised address on state network VTV on Wednesday (26), Maduro revealed a “comprehensive defense plan” for Caracas and La Guaira, detailing where weapons and systems could be deployed along the corridor, “street by street, community by community.”
air defense systems
With the arrival of advanced American warplanes and drones in the Caribbean, Maduro’s Armed Forces are displaying their full air defense capabilities.
Last week, images released by a Venezuelan military unit showed a Russian mobile air defense system, the P-18-2M early warning radar used to detect aircraft or munitions, deployed at a military base east of Caracas on Margarita Island.
Other systems were displayed during air defense exercises at a military complex in the capital, including a medium-range Buk-M2E. The FANB (Bolivarian National Armed Forces of Venezuela) has almost a dozen others, all Russian-made, according to CSIS data.
Anti-aircraft platforms like these are essential to protecting Venezuelan airspace, but experts have questioned the condition of some.
Apparently in an attempt to allay concerns, a FANB unit published images of soldiers cleaning a shorter-range Pechora S-125 anti-aircraft system with soap and water.
But there are still questions about the combat readiness of other platforms, such as the long-range S-300 surface-to-air missile systems purchased by Venezuela years ago, which have been notably absent from government media and exercises in recent weeks.
These developments come just weeks after a mysterious plane — sanctioned for carrying cargo for US blacklisted Russian allies — landed in the capital.
Although it is not yet clear what was delivered, Russian parliamentarian Alexei Zhuravlev states, in an interview with the Russian newspaper Gazeta.ru, that new Pantsir-S1 and Buk-M2E air defense systems were transported to Caracas.
The delivery may have also included modern missiles that would significantly strengthen Venezuela’s air defense network, he told CNN Mark Cancian, retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel.
A CNN has also contacted the Venezuelan Ministry of Defense about the flight and is awaiting a response.
Exercises with live ammunition and troop movement
At the Venezuelan Military Academy, in the south of Caracas, members of the Armed Forces carry out attacks with small drones with the help of a popular video game, as shown in images released by the Venezuelan Army.
With the improvised simulator, Venezuelan soldiers train amid a broader effort to increase the readiness of forces across the country.
On another simulated battlefield, footage shared by a FANB commander shows Venezuelan troops carrying out live ammunition exercises near an uninhabited island less than 40 kilometers from where American warships recently docked in Trinidad and Tobago.
National enlistment campaigns began in August, when Maduro called for volunteers to join the Bolivarian militia to strengthen the country’s defenses.
The militia, a reserve force made up of civilians, is a branch of the Venezuelan Armed Forces.
While the conventional military forces have approximately 123,000 soldiers, Maduro claims that the volunteer militia has grown to 8 million, although experts question both this number and the quality of the troops’ training.
Air power on display
Far from munitions testing grounds and training facilities, civilians in Venezuela are watching the Maduro regime display air power.
In the center of Maracay, one of Venezuela’s largest cities, pedestrians looked up to see F-16 fighter jets flying over museums and shopping centers; and on luxurious Margarita Island, Russian-made Su-30 warplanes passed through the sky.
The seven warplanes seen represent about 20% of Venezuela’s combat aircraft, according to data published by CSIS.
Without access to spare parts and regular maintenance, Berg explained that they are “using precious flight hours… to demonstrate (Venezuelan air power).”
The country’s Air Force is small, with most of its airworthy attack planes being Russian-made Su-30 jets, plus a few F-16 and F-5 fighter jets purchased from the US decades ago, which could face a formidable American presence in the Caribbean.
