Page First Published: 2nd June, 2019
Last updated: June 30, 2019 at 11:46 am
When I first published this article on the 2nd of June, 2019, I titled it “Russia Withdraws Critical Military Support for Venezuela.” But at that time, I was a bit skeptical about the whole report which was being broadcasted by various “credible” mainstream media channels.
Was Russia really withdrawing from Venezuela after all the investments and specifically warning the US against the use of military force in Venezuela?
I later learned that it was Mr. Donald Trump who had issued that statement about Russia withdrawing military personnel from Venezuela – and it later got spread about like a rumour by mainstream media.
Not too long after, President Putin openly denied such claims and reaffirmed his support of the Maduro regime which Donald Trump has been long trying unsuccessfully to topple.
It sort of reminded me when Donald Trump, even after all the warnings from Russia, said that “Russia is not looking to get involved in Venezuela….” And it made me wonder how distanced can a US president get from reality especially when it involes matters of such sensitive nature.
Nevertheless, in this foreword, I wish to set the record straight for this article: It has been debunked: Russia is still in full support of Venezuela and we apologize for the misinformation which first came out of Mr. Trump’s mouth.
In fact, in new developments, Mr. Trump seems to be giving up the fight for regime change in Venezuela. And this is after many failed attempts. I had written in an opinion piece sometime back – when the tension was very high and it seemed like a military invasion was on the brink – that the US can’t win a war against Venezuela, and that Washington needs to give up the fight for regime change in Venezuela. And it seems like that is what is happening now – they are giving up.
As the Venezuelan economy continues to spiral downwards, the future of the Maduro regime grows dismal by the minute.
In early May 2019, a coup attempt by US backed interim president Jaun Guiaido failed after Russia apparently stood in the way of a possible United States military invasion.
Shortly after, the United States’ Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, scheduled a meeting with the Russian Defense Secretary in an effort to talk Russia out of supporting Nicolas Maduro. Little was disclosed about the outcome of that meeting or what exactly was discussed. It was later announced that Russia “is willing to sell Venezuela for the right price.” Did the United States manage to strike a deal with Russia over Venezuela?
In the latest development to the ongoing drama, and as a tremendous blow to Maduro’s office, Russia has withdrawn key defense advisers from Venezuela. Rostec, the Russian state defense contractor, has cut its staff in Venezuela from 1000 at the height of cooperation to just a few dozen as of June 2nd 2019.
According to inside sources, the Maduro regime no longer has the money to pay for Rostec services. Russia has in the past pledged full support for Maduro in the face of US and international pressure, but it turns out after all that “money talks.”
Venezuela is already heavily indebted to Russia, and by the looks of things, the Maduro regime won’t be able to pay back that debt in a hurry. Would Russia be willing to keep backing Maduro against all odds?
In 2017, Maduro had announced the launching as a cryto-currency that would replace the US dollar and lift Venezuela out of the recession. It didn’t work.
In the mean time, several hundred defecting military personnel who fled to Columbia has expressed willingness to engage an operation to oust Maduro from power. They said they are “willing to give their lives” to free their country from the grips of Nicolas Maduro.
In the face of these new developments, you can expect the Venezuelan opposition to try to rally military support against Maduro in another US backed coup attempt. In the past, it was proven that bending the Venezuelan military’s arm in favor of the opposition is no easy task, but with dwindling Russian support, the military’s loyalty to Maduro will truly be tested.
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