Pete Hegseth Mocks Russian Air Defenses After US Venezuela Incursion

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ridiculed Venezuela’s Russian-supplied air defense systems after they failed to hold off a US military incursion into the country.

Speaking Monday during a visit to Newport News Shipyard, Virginia, Hegseth boasted about the incursion in Venezuela, which involved sweeping strikes on Caracas and culminated with US commandos seizing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and bringing them to the United States.

Maduro appeared in a New York court for the first time yesterday, entering a not guilty plea to charges of drug trafficking and “narco-terrorism.”

Hegseth lauded US troops for their “guts, grit, gallantry and glory” during the mission and ridiculed Venezuela’s Russian-made defenses for failing to stop the assault.

“And then we saw, three nights ago, in downtown Caracas in Venezuela, as nearly 200 of our greatest Americans went downtown in Caracas – seems those Russian air defenses didn’t quite work so well, did they?” Hegseth said.

Previously, Maduro had boasted about Venezuela’s Russian-designed air shield, which included 12 S-300VM batteries, nine Buk-M2E systems, Igla-S surface-to-air missiles, and S-125 Pechora-2M units.

Reports indicate US forces destroyed the Buk-M2E system at the La Carlota airbase in Caracas, while the S-300VM batteries never fired.

Venezuela’s conventional forces have long relied on Russian equipment, in what was considered to give them a regional edge.

Other Topics of Interest

US Secretary of State Congratulates Russians on Russia Day

In a brief statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has congratulated Russian citizens, while underscoring Washington’s push for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine.

Hugo Chávez, who took power in 1999, was forced to lean on Russia amid an informal US embargo as he funneled oil revenue into the military.

In October, facing mounting US pressure, Maduro reportedly contacted Vladimir Putin to request repairs on 8 engines and 5 radars, as well as 14 Russian missile sets, and to ask for the restoration of several Russian Sukhoi Su-30 MK2 aircraft previously purchased by Venezuela.

“The machinations show how much Moscow stands to lose should the embattled Venezuelan leader fall,” the Washington Post wrote of the deal at the time. “High-profile projects between the two countries continue to roll out, including a Kalashnikov munitions factory that opened in July in the Venezuelan state of Aragua, about 20 years after it was pledged.”

“Moscow also has exploration rights for potentially billions of dollars in untapped natural gas and oil reserves,” it added.

Russia had also bragged in November that “the Americans may be in for some surprises” as it said it would consider sending Oreshnik hypersonic missiles to Venezuela.

On Saturday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the US operation as “aggressive actions” that represented “an unacceptable infringement on the sovereignty of an independent state.”

However, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, told Russia’s state news agency TASS on Sunday that while Trump’s actions were illegal, they were internally consistent, reflecting a defense of US national interests.

“It must be acknowledged that, despite the obvious unlawfulness of Trump’s behavior, one cannot deny a certain consistency in his actions. He and his team defend their country’s national interests quite harshly,” Medvedev said.

Following the Venezuela incursion, Trump renewed his push to annex Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. “We do need Greenland, absolutely,” he said Sunday, arguing the Arctic island is vital to US security because it is “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.”