President Maduro claims vast Russian-made air defenses as the U.S. President Trump weighs possible military action in escalating Caribbean power standoff.
Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro has claimed that Venezuela possesses 5,000 Russian-made Igla-S anti-aircraft missiles, declaring that they have been strategically deployed across the country amid rising tensions with the United States.
The announcement came Wednesday October 22, 2025, during a televised military event on Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), where Maduro warned that Venezuela was prepared to defend its sovereignty against any foreign aggression. His comments followed a statement by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said he is considering military action inside Venezuela as part of a regional counter–narcotics operation.
“Any military force in the world knows the power of the Igla-S, and Venezuela has no less than 5,000 of them,” Maduro said, boasting that the portable missiles have been stationed “in the last mountain, the last town, and the last city of the territory.”
The Igla-S system, similar to the American Stinger, is a short-range, shoulder-fired missile capable of shooting down low-flying aircraft, drones, and helicopters within a range of up to six kilometers. According to defense analysts, such weapons could significantly complicate any foreign aerial campaign against Venezuela.
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The United States has recently deployed 4,500 Marines and sailors to the Caribbean, citing the need to intensify operations against drug cartels and assert military presence in the region. Several U.S. air and naval strikes have already targeted alleged narcotics-trafficking vessels off the Venezuelan coast, though lawmakers from both parties have questioned the legality of those attacks.
President Trump said last week that he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela and confirmed that his administration was “certainly looking at land now,” suggesting that ground operations could follow maritime campaigns.
While U.S. officials maintain that no final decision has been made, Washington’s strategy has increasingly sought to portray Maduro’s government as intertwined with drug traffickers and terrorist networks. The approach, analysts say, is intended to justify stronger intervention under national security grounds.
In response, Maduro has mobilized military units and civilian militias, claiming that more than eight million reservists stand ready to defend the country — a figure experts say is likely inflated. “The people of Venezuela are clear, united, and aware,” Maduro declared. “We have the means to defeat this open conspiracy against peace and stability.”
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) confirms that Venezuela has long possessed Russian Igla-S systems, though the scale of Maduro’s claim remains unverified. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino has been photographed inspecting the launchers in Caracas, underscoring the country’s growing military alliance with Moscow.
