Dumpf's Raid of Distraction
Hello everybody!
Hope, you’ve all had a pleasant festive season and a good start into the Year 2026!
Because so many are asking about ‘Venezuela’, I’ll start my year on this blog with a resume of what happened there, yesterday, 3 January 2026, early in the morning…
For me, it began with - rather confused, and (definitely) confusing (me) reports about ‘detonations’ and ‘low flying aircraft’ from the Caracas area. Then there appeared reports indicating ‘major detonations’, and showing the resulting ‘fire and smoke’. However, for several hours, it remained unclear if there is really any kind of a ‘US attack’ actually taking place or not…
Now, as much as initially almost under-reported, the scope of this attack was much bigger than it appears even now - even if its targeting was ‘more limited’ than one would expect if following the US military build-up in the Caribbean through December. Furthermore, not only are the US armed forces (plus intelligence services) always deploying ‘everything’ they have, all the means at their disposal, but: at least in theory, one could have expected them to ‘have to hit a lot’ in order to ascertain success. Because that with ‘success’ is nowadays measured in obtaining and maintaining total situational awareness, while denying both to the enemy, so that one goes in, completes the mission, and gets out with the ‘zero loss’.
Still, they didn’t. But, lets start with the start…
The Operation ‘Absolute Resolve’ was initiated sometimes around 23.00hrs of 2 January, and involved US forces deployed on no less than 20 bases in the USA and abroad. At least according to official releases from multiple points in Washington D.C. involved were up to 150 aircraft - ranging from Boeing E-3G Sentry-, Boeing RC-135V/W Rivet Joint-, EC-130H Compass Call-, E-3D Hawkeye- and P-8A Poseidon AWACS- and communications/electronic/signals-intelligence-gathering aircraft (COMINT/ELINT/SIGINT), via Boeing B-1B bombers, to F-22A Raptor, F-35A and F-35B Lightning II, and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter-bombers, to EF-18G Growler electronic warfare-, and Bombardier E-11A Battlefield Airborne Command Node aircraft, plus diverse drones, like RQ-170 Sentinel.
Their job was to suppress the Venezuelan air defences sufficiently to fly a big formation of helicopters of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment carrying Delta Force operators (both from the US Army) and FBI-agents to the compound of President Maduro, in Caracas.
This is also the reason why this operation remained ‘relatively limited’: the USA obviously did not go for any kind of ‘major war’, not even for a ‘quick regime change’: Dumpf was after kidnapping Maduro.
This became obvious already from the fact that - much to my surprise - nobody there came to the idea to strike anything in the Punto Fijo area: a base on the Paraguana peninsula. This is one of northernmost points in Venezuela, including a big radar station with Chinese-made long-range/early warning/surveillance radars, capable of scanning most of the Caribbean. The installations in question are also protected by one of Venezuelan S-125 Pechora-2 surface-to-air missile (SAM) -systems. Thus, I have expected that any kind of a US strike on Venezuela would be initiated by the bases/installations in question being obliterated. So far, haven’t found any kind of info confirming this was the case.
‘Instead’, the US planners focused on ‘affairs of immediate concern for the actual mission, only’. Correspondingly, their primary targets were several ‘SAM-garrisons’ of the Venezuelan forces in the Caracas area: bases for units equipped with long-range/early-warning radars and SAMs like in La Guaira (N of Caracas; including the naval base and the port); Miraflores Palace and Mountain Barracks (northern Caracas); La Carlota AB and the huge Fort Tiuna military city (south-eastern and southern Caracas); and Fort Guaicapuro (southern Caracas). Very little else but what is shown on this map:
Guided by at least two E-2D Hawkeye AWACS, the strike was supported by EF-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft. They jammed the Venezuelan radars and communications, opening the way for RQ-170 Sentinel UCAVs, F-22As and F-35A/Cs fighter-bombers to knock out communication systems. Indeed, communication nodes at Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda AB (La Carlota) and Fort Tiuna were the first to receive hits. Also hit was the Buk-M2E SAM-system defending the Higuerote airport.
I guess that the B-1Bs have pummeled the Capitan Manuel Rios AB, well to the south of Caracas, using stuff like GBU-31 JDAM GPS-guided bombs: this is Venezuela’s major S-300 base.
As this was still going on - indeed: as the detonations were rocking much of Venezuelan capitol - a large formation of helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment carrying Delta Force operators and FBI-agents appeared low over Caracas and went straight for Maduro’s compound.
Considering this - theoretically: highly vulnerable - helicopter formation was not chopped to pieces by the Venezuelan S-300s, Buk-M2Es, Pechora-2s, Mistrals, and diverse MANPADS, it can be concluded that the operation of destroying the country’s military communications and disabling SAMs was highly effective.
While F-22s, F-35s, F/A-18E/Fs, AH-64s and UH-60s (it is possible that a few of old AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters were involved, too) were providing suppressing fire, the CH-47s landed in the compound, and disgorged the Delta operators. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were arrested, embarked on one of helicopters and then flown to the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) cruising off the coast.
Reportedly, a single Su-30 of the Venezuelan Air Force scrambled shortly after, but its crew received no support from the ground, could not find any of withdrawing US forces and was reduced to flying around Caracas. Another Su-30 and an F-16 were scrambled after the dawn, and photographed by the locals, but they found nothing either.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan officials reported that ‘at least 40 people, including civilians and military personnel’ were killed in the attack: two US soldiers were wounded and one helicopter damaged.
The Venezuelan government did manage to air a pre-recorded interview with Maduro, in which he explained that the USA are imposing a regime change, to re-establish control over the country’s oil reserves. He also called the people ‘to action’, and ordered ‘all national defence plans to be implemented’. Finally, Maduro declared ‘a state of external disturbance’. However, by the time this was aired, Maduro and wife were already out of the country. Indeed, transferred to Puerto Rico and from there to the Stewart Air National Guard Base outside New York, where both were indicted by the Southern District of New York on charges related to narcoterrorism, conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices…
Beg your pardon, but at this point cannot than observe: the US judiciary could instantly order an arrest and prosecution of Dumpf for far worse crimes…
Ah yes, ‘but’: in the Year 2026, the US judiciary ‘can’ hold a foreign president responsible for breaking US laws, but not an American president.
Moreover, by all the claims about ‘democracy and freedom’ - all of which are systematically suppressed by the very Dumpf and his gangs in the USA - and how the USA are ‘going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition’ (quote from Dumpf), the Maduro government remains in place. The Supreme Tribunal of Justice ordered the Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, to take over in Maduro’s absence; the Minister of Defence Vladimir Padrino Lopez remains in control of the armed forces; the latter are now deployed… and that’s it.
Sure, there are reports about mass demonstrations in Caracas, and then also in Florida, USA, celebrating Maduro’s fall, but sorry: I’m not impressed. Have seen lots of similar demonstrations in Iraq and Iran, the last 22 years…
With other words, Dumpf’s aims are not related to Venezuela’s freedom, democracy nor anything of that kind, but to:
- Distract the US public from the Epstein Scandal and similar affairs in the USA (where one should keep in mind that today was the legal deadline for Dumpf’s Department of Justice to submit to Congress a written justification for any documents from the Epstein files, that the department had redacted or withheld),
- Remove Maduro as an obstacle to ‘making a deal’ of one sort or the other, with his successors – foremost the Rodriguez brothers, Diosdado Cabello, the High Command of the Armed Forces, etc…
- Lower the oil price (as far as possible) to effect at least some kind of improvement in the US economy…
Finally, one should keep in mind that Agent Krasnov is meanwhile facing calls for resignation from the US Congress, too.
What prompted a group of 47 congressmen/women (from both the Democratic- and Republican parties) to formally demand his resignation is a leaked memo alleging Trump interfered with active military operations for personal political gain, and that he ordered delays in critical defence authorizations until certain generals agreed to appear at campaign events and publicly support him.
Members of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees have reviewed the memo in a secure facility and called the evidence ‘undeniable’. Correspondingly, the Republican committee chairman Michael McCaul read the resignation demand on the House floor, saying he could not stay silent while national security was put at risk. Legal experts across the political spectrum say the allegations represent a ‘serious abuse of power’ and (possible) ‘criminal conduct’…
As usually, Dumpf has responded with furious denials, calling everything a hoax and attacking Republicans who broke ranks…
With other words: Dumpf is not only in deep trouble over the Epstein files, but now at odds with a good part of the MAGA majority in the Congress. Therefore in need of a lots of distraction of the public - in the USA, first and foremost (where, arguably, the public is also the easiest to distract). Maduro, who’s established himself in the control over the country with help of a regime closely reminiscent of that of the quasi-clergy of Iran, has offered himself as a suitable idiot to play with. That’s about all there is actually to say about this affair.
…with exception that the US Armed Forces now appear to behaving exactly like those of the Russian Federation. See: flying into the airspace where civilian airliners are underway, without prior notices, and with IFF-transponders off, thus jeopardising lives of innocent civilians. Where, hand on heart: even that’s not really ‘new’.
What is at least as shameful as this entire US ‘military operation’, are reactions from all the possible ‘democracy & freedom-loving’ zombie idiots in charge of the EU and the UK: I’m only surprised none of them rushed to Washington to go licking Dumpf’s boots…
"In the year 2026, the US judiciary ‘can’ hold a foreign president responsible for breaking US laws, but not an American president." Brilliant Sarcastosaurus, that's how you start the new year with a bang!
Waiting until tomorrow on your comment of Zelensky appointing Budanov as chief of staff:)