Overview
- U.S. helicopters opened the Jan. 3 operation by striking Venezuelan military sites, with reporting that President Nicolás Maduro was seized and flown to the United States.
- U.S. officials told the Times the Russian-made systems were not connected to radar when American aircraft entered Venezuelan airspace.
- Photos, videos and satellite imagery reviewed by the Times showed key launchers and support vehicles stored rather than deployed at the time of the strikes.
- The analysis found strikes prioritized known Buk sites, with destroyed or damaged systems documented in La Guaira, Catia La Mar, La Carlota air base and Higuerote airport.
- Analysts and current or former U.S. officials cited shortages of Russian technicians and spare parts linked to the Ukraine war, while some former officials suggested Moscow may have allowed deterioration to avoid a direct clash with Washington.