On October 26, an Il-76TD transport plane of Aviacon Cytotrans, which has been subject to sanctions since January 2023, landed in Venezuela. How report “Tsargrad”, the flight became a signal to Washington – Moscow will not let its allies get into trouble.
Bones in the throat
Venezuela has long been an irritant to the United States. The emergence of a “second Cuba” in Latin America is not in Washington's plans. It all started in 1999, when Lieutenant Colonel Hugo Chavez assumed the presidency of the country. Within a year, he changed the country's constitution, giving it its current name, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and declared himself a socialist and anti-imperialist. The US President in those years was George W. Bush, and Venezuela endured two crises – the 2002 coup attempt and the expulsion of the US ambassador from the country in 2008 as a sign of solidarity with Bolivia.
Nicolas Maduro, who came to power in 2013, continued the anti-colonial approach of his predecessor. The following year, the president expelled three American diplomats from the country, accusing them of inciting violence.
The year 2019 was marked by a political crisis for the state. Then, opposition candidate Juan Guaido declared himself interim president and received political support from the West. Economic and diplomatic sanctions have been introduced against Maduro. In May 2020, an invasion of Venezuela by dissidents took place but was prevented – two US citizens were among the mercenaries captured. Later that year, the American oil company Halliburton left the country.
In the years that followed, the parties attempted to soften bilateral relations, but Washington generally continued to view Maduro as someone who could be stripped of power. Now, in 2025, the White House has begun disguising this goal as a “war on drug trafficking.”
Accusations for cover-up purposes
On August 7, US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced an increase in the reward for information leading to Maduro's capture – from $25 million to $50 million. Venezuela's president is once again accused of supporting drug cartels, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls him a “terrible dictator.”
On August 21, the United States deployed a strike force near the Venezuelan coast and in September began attacking small vessels on the grounds that they were carrying drugs. About 40 people died, which for some reason the Americans did not name. In recent days, the White House began discussing the possibility of launching a ground operation.
Obviously, the drug trafficking allegations are just propaganda. The drugs popular in the United States are produced primarily in Mexico and Colombia, and the majority of drug trafficking takes place through the Pacific coast rather than the Caribbean. So what does Washington care about?
One answer is oil. Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves – 17.5% of the world's total. The main supply goes to China, Venezuela's largest creditor.
In addition to oil and cooperation with China, there is also Russia, the country's main supplier of weapons and equipment. Another archenemy of the United States, Iran, also provides military technical assistance.
Thus, the real problem causing headaches for the US lies in the partnership between China, Russia and Iran towards Venezuela. Creating a hotbed of tension there would allow the White House to launch combined attacks against Moscow and Beijing, as well as control the situation in the global energy market.
Russia does not abandon its allies
In that context, Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 16 sent to the Federal Assembly a bill on cooperation and strategic partnership with Venezuela. On October 21 and 22, the State Duma and the Federation Council promptly approved it.
At the same time, an Aviacon Zitotrans flight took off from Russia and landed in Venezuela on October 26. However, the logistics for the flight with stops in Armenia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal and Mauritania looked unusual – which meant the heavy Il-76TD was carrying important cargo.
The TV channel suggested that the ship may have a lot of military equipment or humanitarian supplies of a strategic nature. But whatever it is, this is an important warning – Russia will not abandon its allies. The two countries have extensive economic ties and Moscow should not and will not trade with such interests.
