High-Stakes Extraction: U.S. Captures Maduro in Caracas Strike as Russia Demands Immediate Release
The geopolitical landscape of the Western Hemisphere shifted violently on Saturday morning as U.S. military forces conducted a large-scale strike on Caracas, resulting in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The operation, which has already been hailed by President Donald Trump as a "brilliant" success, has triggered an immediate and furious diplomatic backlash from the Kremlin.
The Capture: A "Brilliant Operation"
In an announcement that stunned global observers, President Trump confirmed that U.S. troops and law enforcement successfully extracted Maduro and his wife during the morning raids. The two are currently being flown to New York City, where they are expected to face a litany of federal criminal charges.
Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump praised the precision of the mission. “A lot of good planning and a lot of great, great troops,” Trump told the New York Times. “It was a brilliant operation, actually.” The President is scheduled to hold a formal news conference at 11 a.m. local time to provide further details on the military’s involvement.
Russia Condemns "Armed Aggression"
The response from Moscow was swift and uncompromising. Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement demanding the immediate release of Maduro, whom they still recognize as the "lawfully elected president of a sovereign country."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reportedly held a high-priority call with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez Gomez to express "solidarity in the face of armed aggression." While Reuters sources suggest Rodriguez Gomez has already fled to Moscow, Russian authorities have dismissed those claims as "fake."
The Kremlin warned that the capture represents an "unacceptable encroachment on sovereignty" and urged the U.S. to reconsider its position to avoid further escalation in the region.
Chaos on the Ground in Caracas
Inside Venezuela, the aftermath of the strike is described as a "great outrage" by Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López. According to reports, U.S. combat helicopters utilized missiles and rockets in urban areas, leading to unspecified casualties.
"This invasion represents the greatest outrage the country has suffered," López stated, vowing that the Venezuelan military would continue to resist the presence of foreign troops. Local authorities are currently struggling to assess the full extent of the death toll and injuries within the capital.
Oil and the Path Ahead
While the U.S. has spent months amassing a massive naval and ground presence in the Caribbean under the guise of counter-narcotics operations, President Trump’s recent comments suggest a shift toward economic control.
In a Saturday afternoon interview with Fox News, Trump signaled that the U.S. intends to be "very strongly involved" in Venezuela’s oil industry following the regime change. This admission adds a layer of economic complexity to a situation already fraught with the risk of a direct proxy conflict between the world’s two largest nuclear powers.
