Andrei Bogodel
MINSK, 3 January (BelTA) – America had long been preparing for a military operation against Venezuela, Andrei Bogodel, Deputy Head of the Faculty of Education and Science – Head of the Education and Methodology Department of the Faculty of the General Staff of the Armed Forces at the Military Academy of Belarus, told a BelTA correspondent.
“U.S. preparations were thorough. They assembled a force in the Caribbean, concentrating aviation, marines, and special operations units, and carried out practical drills. The U.S. ultimatum for Maduro to step down expired at the end of November and, as expected, it failed. Yet, it was clear that Trump wouldn’t back down. It all began with drone strikes. Venezuela’s air defense system failed, and its air force was unable to counter the attacks, so the skies were under American control from the first seconds. Immediately, U.S. assault helicopters carrying elite special forces appeared over Caracas, and a marine special forces unit was prepared for deployment from the sea. These forces had been deployed at the start of the Operation Southern Spear to fight drug trafficking in the Caribbean. Ultimately, the special forces conducted an operation to capture the legitimately elected President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro.”
“We are witnessing not a full-scale war, but a special operation to force a change of power and acceptance of Trump’s terms. It can be assumed that similar operations will follow, starting suddenly and ending just as quickly. It’s possible that after Maduro’s abduction, there will be a pause, attempts to negotiate, and if unsuccessful, a continuation may follow. But the Americans will definitely not resort to a ground operation. That would require entirely different forces, and they are counting on the internal strife within Venezuela itself,” stated Andrei Bogodel.
He believes the long-term prospects are either a deal, a civil war, or both. A repeat of the Syrian scenario with a Latin American twist is also possible: “We are now witnessing the realization of the goals outlined in the U.S. National Security Strategy, the beginning of Trump’s Monroe Doctrine. Its goal is to make South America the ‘backyard’ of the United States. Under these circumstances, it is unlikely anyone can really help Venezuela, as no one can compete with the U.S. on equal terms right now, especially in the Western Hemisphere, where Washington calls the shots.”
“In this regard, who can now say that Lukashenko was wrong to call [Defense Minister Viktor] Khrenin before the New Year... It turns out our president is capable of predicting virtually all events,” the expert emphasized.
“What will happen next in the Caribbean can be read in the U.S. National Security Strategy. I believe it’s Nicaragua’s and Cuba’s turn. It’s only a matter of time, and the U.S. security strategy doesn’t mention peace and prosperity; it only talks about the prosperity of the U.S. and its allies,” noted Andrei Bogodel.
The president of Belarus had earlier strongly condemned the act of American aggression against Venezuela. Aleksandr Lukashenko had spoken about the consequences recently in an interview with American journalist Greta Conway Van Susteren, specifically stating that “this will be a second Vietnam.”
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