Russian roots remain in Venezuela

Radio Free Europe headlined Wednesday that “Maduro Is Gone From Venezuela, but Russia May Not Be.” The publication details how Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime spent two decades cultivating personal relationships with a whole cast of Venezuela’s military, political and energy leaders and establishing commercial ties with a range of business moguls. Even with Nicolás Maduro removed, “these links are unlikely to disappear overnight,” the article states. The conclusion is reinforced by the fact that the United States’ capture of Maduro on January 3 did not bring about regime change but left Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, in power. She has long maintained warm relations with the Kremlin and, in 2024, was awarded Russia’s prestigious “Order of Friendship” by Putin himself. Though the U.S. operation was a blow to Russian power in Venezuela, deep Russian roots remain. The Kremlin will seize any opportunity to deepen those and to continue projecting power into the Western Hemisphere, about 1,700 miles from the U.S. mainland. To understand how foreign influence in Latin America will be weaponized against the U.S., read “Preparing to Storm America’s Castle.”