Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – According to a report by Newsweek on October 4th, a senior Russian official stated that Russia has provided Venezuela with air defense systems. As the United States accelerates its military deployment in the Caribbean, Western media outlets have been analyzing and interpreting Venezuela's possession of advanced Russian-made weaponry.
As the United States continues to increase military pressure on Venezuela, Alexei Zhuravlev, First Deputy Chairman of the Defense Committee of the Russian State Duma, recently gave an interview to Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Zhuravlev confirmed that Russia recently deployed an Il-76 transport aircraft to deliver Pantsir-S1 and Buk-M2E air defense systems to Venezuela.
According to the flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the Il-76 took off from Russian territory, transited through Armenia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, and Mauritania, and arrived in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, on October 26th.
Some analysts point out that Russia's move, besides expressing support for Venezuela, also implies an intention to deter and contain the US and the West.
Foreign media noted that Zhuravlev stated that Russia would not face any obstacles in providing friendly countries like Venezuela with new weapons such as the Oreshnik hypersonic missile and the Kalibr cruise missile.
The US-based "The War Zone" website stated that the Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile has a flight speed of Mach 10 and can carry a nuclear warhead to strike targets 5,000 kilometers away. The Kalibr, with a range of approximately 2,000 kilometers, has been combat-tested in the Middle East and Europe.
Zhuravlev also emphasized that Russian-made Su-30MK2 fighter jets have become the backbone of the Venezuelan Air Force, and several battalions of Russian-made S-300VM air defense systems are closely protecting many important Venezuelan facilities.
The Belgian website "Army Knowledge" analyzed that the Su-30MK2's avionics and fire control system has been modified for maritime strikes. It can carry Kh-31 supersonic missiles equipped with 100kg high-explosive warheads, capable of attacking surface ships hundreds of kilometers away.
Foreign media pointed out that Venezuela currently possesses approximately 20 Su-30MK2s and an undisclosed number of Kh-31s. These two types of weapons recently made a joint appearance in the country's large-scale military exercises, demonstrating Venezuela's "long-range strike capability sufficient to threaten enemy warships."
However, some argue that unless a coordinated "saturation attack" is launched, Venezuela, relying solely on a small number of advanced fighter jets and missiles, may find it difficult to penetrate the US air and sea defense system deployed in the Caribbean.
Observing past US overseas military operations, some analysts believe that "preemptive strikes" are a common tactic. Venezuela is clearly aware of this, and therefore has primarily used Russian-made air defense weapons to create a multi-layered air defense perimeter surrounding the capital, air bases, and industrial corridors.
The US bi-monthly magazine *The National Interest* stated that the core of Venezuela's air defense force consists of dozens of Russian-made S-300VM, Buk-M2E, and Pantsir-S1 air defense systems, in addition to approximately 5,000 Igla-S man-portable air defense missiles.
Among them, the S-300VM can intercept aerial targets up to 250 kilometers away, the Buk-M2E poses a significant threat to cruise missiles and aircraft within 45 kilometers, and the Pantsir-S1 is a powerful short-range air defense weapon against drones.
Foreign media also stated that Venezuela's air defense radar is "very advanced," possessing a certain ability to detect and track stealth aircraft, and believes that if the US were to invade Venezuelan territory, "it would inevitably encounter enormous resistance and pay a high price initially." (End)
