During the operation of the U.S. armed forces on December 3 of this year against Venezuela, with the striking capital Caracas, the country's leader, President Nicolas Maduro, was kidnapped along with his wife Cilia Flores. U.S. President Donald Trump announced this result. In turn, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said that she did not know where Maduro was.
Thus, all the strikes on the Venezuelan capital, including the strike on the Military Complex of Fort Tiuna, as well as, as reported by local media, on a number of objects in other regions of the country, were connected with only one rather audacious task - the "decapitation" of the country. This was to be done not by liquidation, but by capturing and taking the country's president out alive. What the American forces did really demonstrate a new level of military operations.
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It is worth noting that the Venezuelan armed forces had to be ready for war, as since September 2025 the United States has deployed quite powerful forces in the region - an aircraft carrier and amphibious strike group in the Caribbean Sea, as well as additional forces in Puerto Rico. The United States gradually increased the degree of escalation, destroying the motor boats of drug traffickers, blocking sanctioned tankers, and also striking the port infrastructure of drug cartels.
To carry out the operation to kidnap Maduro, American forces first had to obtain accurate information about the location of the Venezuelan president, and wait for him to arrive at a place convenient for the implementation of the plan.
This demonstrates not only the wide capabilities of American intelligence, but also the fact that the Pentagon kept the appropriate forces on high alert for the operation. Such forces were to be much larger than a special forces unit.
This is evidenced by the fact that, as soon as the operation was given the "green light", the United States had to neutralize the Venezuelan air defense system in the region, and not just break through the air "corridor" for special forces. This had to be done in a matter of minutes, as the target could leave the area convenient for the operation otherwise.
In order to neutralize Venezuela's air defense systems, it was necessary to conduct a large-scale operation involving dozens of aircraft, which were to detect, suppress with electronic warfare means and destroy a fairly significant number of SAM systems, including the russian S-300V, Buk and Pantsir systems, as well as the general air defense control system. In addition, it was necessary to prevent the Venezuelan combat aircraft, which includes up to two dozen Su-30 fighters, from taking to the air.
At the same time, the corresponding capture group could theoretically already be in the country, or be delivered to the area of operation immediately at its beginning, for example, by V-22 Ospreay tiltrotor planes.
The main stage of the operation began at the moment of the capture of Maduro, which required the elimination of his security and the prevention of the arrival of reinforcements. The latter was apparently achieved through complete air dominance and targeted air strikes, even by attack helicopters.
After the capture, a group of American special forces, together with the Venezuelan leader, was able to evacuate, and the operation itself was completed. Moreover, the entire "operation" lasted just a few hours. In modern military history, such actions are being successfully implemented for the first time, demonstrating the capabilities of the U.S. armed forces to conduct extremely complex multi-domain operations involving significant forces and ensuring the highest level of their coordination.
Similar operations have already been carried out of course. For example, we can recall the beginning of the USSR war in Afghanistan - Operation "Storm-333", which involved the storming of the Palace of the President of Afghanistan Amin. But then the task of the Soviet special forces was to assassinate the Afghan leader. Moreover, the Soviet special forces and other forces were in Afghanistan quite legally.
During the invasion of Panama in 1989, the Americans captured dictator Manuel Noriega, who was able to hide in the Vatican embassy, which became known on the third day of the operation, December 23, 1989. After that, the Americans launched a continuous psychological attack, turning on powerful speakers around the building that played Rock and Heavy Metal music 24/7. Noriega surrendered only on January 3, 1990.
There is also some evidence of an unsuccessful attempt by russian saboteurs to capture the Government Quarter in Kyiv as well as the leadership of Ukraine on February 22, 2022, which was part of the russian plan for a quick change of power in Ukraine.
For now, the U.S. stake is most likely that instead of Maduro, Washington will be able to bring opposition leader Maria Corina Machado to the presidency in Venezuela, who will conduct a foreign and domestic policy loyal to the US – but just time will tell whether such a possible U.S. plan will work.
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