A senior Russian lawmaker says Moscow has delivered new air defense systems to Venezuela, signaling deepening military ties between the two countries as tensions rise between Caracas and Washington.
In an interview with the Russian news outlet Gazeta, Alexei Zhuravlev, first deputy chairman of the State Duma’s Defense Committee, said that Pantsir-S1 and Buk-M2E systems were recently flown to Venezuela aboard Il-76 military transport aircraft.
“According to the latest information, Russian Pantsir-S1 and Buk-M2E systems were just recently delivered to Caracas,” Zhuravlev said in remarks published Saturday. He also suggested that Moscow could consider sending offensive weapons, including Oreshnik ballistic missiles or Kalibr cruise missiles, to the South American nation.
His statements, which have not been independently verified, come as Venezuela faces growing U.S. military pressure. Business Insider reported that flight-tracking data shows an Il-76 cargo plane operated by Aviacon Zitotrans — a Russian cargo carrier sanctioned by the U.S. in 2023 — landed in Caracas on October 26 and October 29, before continuing to Havana. It is unclear whether those flights were related to Zhuravlev’s claims.
If confirmed, the delivery would mark a significant upgrade to Venezuela’s existing Russian-supplied air defense network, which already includes S-300VM and Buk-M2 systems acquired more than a decade ago. The Pantsir-S1, with a range of up to 20 miles, is designed to provide short- to medium-range air defense and protect strategic assets such as longer-range S-300 batteries.
Zhuravlev said Russia faces no international restrictions on weapons sales to Venezuela and hinted that “the Americans could be in for some surprises.”
The alleged transfer comes as the United States expands its naval presence in the Caribbean, deploying the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and several other warships to the region. U.S. officials have accused President Nicolás Maduro’s government of narcotrafficking and human rights abuses — charges that Caracas denies.
Former President Donald Trump, who has previously discussed the possibility of military action against Venezuela, downplayed the likelihood of conflict in an interview aired Sunday. “I doubt it. I don’t think so. But they’ve been treating us very badly,” he told CBS.
The White House, Pentagon, State Department, and Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment