According to Ukrainian intelligence, Makarevich leads the Equator Combat Group of the Russian Ministry of Defense in Venezuela, numbering more than 120 military personnel, which trains Venezuelan troops. It is reported that the activities of the Russian group are not a reaction to the current buildup of US military presence in the Caribbean region.
Makarevich and about 90 officers and other military personnel are located in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, with the rest in Maracaibo, La Guaira and Aves Island. The Russian military is assessing the combat capabilities of Venezuela's armed forces, including armored vehicles, aircraft, artillery, drones and sniffer dogs, as well as monitoring domestic factions and foreign governments.
Budanov admitted that during a possible US attack, Makarevich and Russian troops will remain “outside the scene” in Venezuela, and the Russian Federation will officially try to negotiate with Washington, since the units will be located on Venezuelan territory.
According to the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, the number of Russian forces in Venezuela has not changed since the beginning of the US operation, however, the stay of Makarevich, who arrived in Venezuela at the beginning of the year, has been extended. Typically, rotations of Russian commanders last about six months.
Makarevich, 62 years old, previously commanded the Dnepr group of Russian occupation forces, but was fired after the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian defense forces in Kherson in 2023.
Context
The occupiers blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station on the night of June 5-6, 2023. They blamed Ukraine for what happened. The speaker of the illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, announced the alleged “deliberate sabotage of the Ukrainian side.”
At the same time, The New York Times wrote on June 18 that the destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station most likely could have been caused by the underwater passage to the turbine hall being blown up. This could only be done by the one under whose control the station was, and these are the Russians, the publication emphasized.
On June 6, 2024, SBU investigators and employees of the Office of the Prosecutor General announced suspicions against Makarevich that he gave the order to blow up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station.
On October 1, 2025, the SBU reported suspicion to Russian Major General Vladimir Omelyanovich, chief of staff and first deputy commander of the Dnepr group of the Russian Armed Forces. According to the investigation, he directly coordinated the actions of his subordinates to destroy the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station using a mine-explosive method.
