The Russian media received an order from the Kremlin. This is how they explain Putin's defeat

According to the recommendations, Russian propaganda media are to present the overthrow of Maduro as Putin's success in “separating Russia from the West.” The Russian president allegedly “created a sovereign border” for the Russian Federation. On January 5, the United States announced that the Western Hemisphere was Washington's sphere of influence.

At the same time, the Putin administration provided guidelines to Russian state media to cover events in Venezuela in the context of the US allegedly planned takeover of Greenland, as well as President Donald Trump's harsh statements about the situation in Mexico (where he called for a strike against drug cartels) and Cuba, which the host of the White House considers a Maduro ally.

Although 12 days have passed since Maduro's capture, Putin has still not commented on the overthrow of his ally, with whom he signed a strategic partnership agreement in May 2025. The Russian dictator made a public appearance on January 6, when he attended an Orthodox Christmas mass in a temple on the premises of the GRU base, and then met with the Chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, and the Governor of the Yaroslavl Oblast, Mikhail Yevrayev.

Back in December 2025, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Venezuela an “ally” and “partner”, emphasizing that the authorities of both countries maintain “constant contact”.

In Venezuela itself, senior officials who remained in the country after Maduro's arrest complain about the Kremlin's inability and unwillingness to protect the country's president. They said the Russian and Cuban intelligence services that Caracas relied on for security had failed to prevent threats against the Venezuelan leader, despite Trump's repeated announcements of his intention to overthrow him.