Venezuelan President Maduro Boasts of 5,000 Russian Igla-S Missiles Amid Rising US Military Pressure

Venezuela has deployed 5,000 Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles in “key air defense positions,” President Nicolas Maduro stated on Wednesday, amid rising tensions over the United States’ military presence in the Caribbean, CNN reported.

US President Donald Trump has indicated he is considering military action inside Venezuela as part of a broader campaign against drug trafficking and to weaken Maduro, a long-time adversary of Washington.

“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 during an event with military personnel broadcast by Venezolana de Television (VTV), according to CNN.

The Russian Igla-S missiles are short-range, low-altitude systems similar to the American Stingers. They are capable of taking down small aerial targets such as cruise missiles, drones, helicopters, and low-flying aircraft.

Maduro claimed the missiles, which are light enough to be carried by a single soldier, had been deployed “even in the last mountain, the last town, and the last city of the territory.”

The US has deployed 4,500 Marines and sailors to the Caribbean to bolster operations against drug cartels and to demonstrate military presence. The US has also carried out lethal strikes on vessels off the Caribbean coast allegedly involved in narcotics trafficking. Lawmakers from both parties in the US have questioned the legality of these strikes.

Last week, Trump said he had authorised the CIA to carry out covert actions in Venezuela and suggested the US might expand its military operations to land, adding, “We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control.”

The Trump administration has been quietly preparing for potential military action in Venezuela for months by linking Maduro to drug traffickers and cartels designated as terror groups that pose an imminent threat to the US.

So far, there is no indication that Trump intends to target Maduro directly. The objective has been to pressure him to step down voluntarily by creating a credible threat of US military intervention if he refuses.

In response, Maduro has repositioned troops, mobilised what he claims are millions of militia members, and condemned US activity in the region. “The people of Venezuela are clear, united, and aware,” Maduro said in a televised address. “They have the means to once again defeat this open conspiracy against the peace and stability of Venezuela.”

Maduro has asserted that volunteer militias now number over 8 million reservists, though experts question both this figure and the training quality of the troops.

According to Rosoboronexport, the Russian state company that exports Igla-S systems, the missiles have a range of up to 6,000 meters and can target objects at a maximum altitude of 3,500 meters.

CNN noted that Maduro’s cited number of Igla-S missiles could not be independently confirmed but confirmed that the systems form part of Venezuela’s arsenal. Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino has been photographed multiple times with the launchers in Caracas.

Source: ANI