Secret cargo bound for Caracas: Russia delivers heavy weapons to Venezuela, target — sinking the US carrier fleet

A mysterious Russian Il-76 transport plane has taken a long and complex route across multiple countries, apparently bringing a significant "chip" to Caracas in the tense dialogue with Washington. According to some sources, the plane was carrying core components of modern air defense systems, which were urgently transported to Venezuela to demonstrate Moscow's firm support for its ally against the backdrop of potential escalation of the situation.

Details of the secret cargo

The Il-76TD transport plane that landed in Venezuela is affiliated with the "Aviakon Tsitotrans" airline. Notably, this company was placed on the U.S. sanctions list since January 2023 for "providing transportation services for the Wagner private military group and the Russian defense industry complex."

Information suggests that the transport plane took off from Russia on October 22, then flew along a complex route passing through Armenia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, and Mauritania. This route was planned to avoid NATO airspace, ensuring the entire cargo transportation remained confidential.

(The Il-76TD transport plane carrying the mysterious cargo.)

What follows is even more intriguing: Western media have been speculating about the purpose of this flight for days. However, according to insiders, the plane may have carried core components of the "Korolev-S1" and "S-2M2E" advanced air defense systems.

However, the credibility of this source is questionable. It claims that the Russian government made this urgent arms sale decision — reportedly, the Kremlin persuaded the president that "even if it might weaken its own air defense capabilities, it must support its allies." The message also claims that Moscow aims to clearly send a signal: willing to confront Washington for influence in the Caribbean region.

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Although the source is questionable, the flight of this transport plane still aligns closely with the current overall situation. Looking back at recent developments: Putin recently signed a strategic partnership treaty with Venezuela, which officially came into effect after approval by both parliaments. The two countries agreed to jointly address unilateral sanctions and build an independent financial infrastructure. Notably, this is the third such treaty Russia has signed after North Korea and Iran. Is this just a coincidence? Probably not.

Russia is trying to take over the role of the Soviet Union as the "main security guarantor" for countries facing pressure from the United States, the European Union, the UK, Japan, and others. At the same time, China, India, Brazil, and other countries are also being pushed to become partners of Russia. Political scientist Vladimir Kireyev said: "Russia's economic size is insufficient to support its status as a global power, but in military and political terms, Moscow is undoubtedly leading the global agenda, and larger economies cannot ignore this."

"Although air defense weapons and related technical personnel cannot fundamentally change the regional balance of power, they can create conditions for Moscow to pressure the United States, which is crucial for Russia in various global issues. Moscow is shaping itself as a major global participant through this method — not only relying on existing military and political potential, but also on the willingness to use force publicly."

Questions arise

Certainly, delivering air defense systems to Venezuela seems logical, but in fact, Venezuela has already been equipped with the "S-2M2E" air defense system from Russia. Latest photos show these systems deployed around Caracas and major oil fields.

It should be recalled that the "S-2M2E" air defense system can attack aircraft, cruise missiles, ballistic targets, and surface ships, with a range of up to 50 kilometers and a height of up to 25 kilometers. A "S-2M2E" missile battery includes up to six self-propelled launchers, each equipped with four 9M317 missiles. This system has strong anti-jamming capability, high mobility, and can fight while moving.

(The deployed "S-2M2E" air defense system.)

In addition, Venezuela has deployed 5,000 sets of Russian "Strela-S" portable air defense missile systems nationwide. These equipment should have already built a defense network against possible American air attacks for the country.

If Venezuela already has ready-to-use and combat-ready air defense systems, why is it now transporting "air defense system parts"?

The real purpose of the secret weapon

The specific content of the military cargo is still not public — and, according to political scientist Vadim Afanasyev, "probably no one outside the highest decision-making circles knows the details. Even the transport company and crew members may not know what they are transporting."

The journalist from "Tsargrad" asked: "What is the purpose of this arms sale? The general view is that it is to support an ally."

Vadim Afanasyev replied: "The so-called 'solidarity' talk is nonsense, pure waste of resources. The decision to invade Venezuela and overthrow the current regime is already being prepared by the United States, there is no doubt about that. The real significance of this arms sale is: if the United States launches an invasion, Venezuela needs the ability to shoot down US modern aircraft — the more the better; and it needs the ability to damage part of the US carrier battle group, such as seriously damaging the US main carrier 'Gerald R. Ford'. Only in this way does the arms sale have practical significance."

The journalist asked: "Why is this so critical?"

Afanasyev answered: "Because every sinking US warship, every shot-down US aircraft, will lead to the disintegration of the US hegemonic system. This will have global implications. From this perspective, the Venezuela front and the Ukraine front are the same — the triggers of these conflicts are both set by the United States. The current US political system has fallen into a fanatical fascist state, they are the new Hitler. Solving this issue is imperative."

The journalist asked again: "If things really develop like this, what consequences will the United States face?"

Afanasyev answered: "Theoretically speaking, if the United States attacks Venezuela, the Maduro government will have the absolute right to use any weapon it possesses to attack any city in the United States. I sincerely hope that at that time, the Maduro government will have lethal weapons capable of causing major and globally visible damage to the United States."

Analysis based on the experience of the special military operation (СВО)

Military experts and analysts Sergei Prostakov pointed out that the current situation is also related to Trump's attempt to revive the "Monroe Doctrine" — a doctrine that advocates that the United States should dominate North and South American affairs. In addition, this president explicitly stated that the root cause of drug abuse within the United States lies in China's actions, a statement that could trigger serious geopolitical consequences.

"The military cooperation between Russia and Venezuela has a long history and is close. The Venezuelan army is equipped with a large number of Russian weapons. Therefore, the Venezuelan side inevitably needs (components of these weapons), technical maintenance services, and ammunition supplies, especially for air defense systems — and all of this can obviously only be fully satisfied by Russia."

Prostakov added: "Nevertheless, the current situation requires caution. Although the United States' efforts to combat drug trafficking are commendable, it cannot tolerate Washington's aggression against sovereign states. Moreover, although the current situation may remind people of the 'Cuban Missile Crisis', in reality, the two are not comparable. The main goal of the United States today is to target relevant countries, and their economic confrontation with these countries is the core issue. Although Russia has its own interests in the Caribbean Sea, in this confrontation, Russia is, to a certain extent, a 'secondary partner' of the relevant countries, so we should not have the illusion that the US and USSR will repeat the deployment of nuclear weapons against each other."

Where is the situation heading?

The mysterious mission of the Il-76 transport plane flying to Caracas is actually a multi-layered political signal. Although there are questions about whether it is reasonable to deliver air defense equipment to a region that already has a well-established air defense capability, the significance of this action has long gone beyond the scope of military logistics.

Moscow is steadily building a global strategic partnership network, and Venezuela has become a key node of this network in the Western Hemisphere. Even if the transport plane carries only weapon parts or samples of new equipment, the core message it conveys is clear to Washington: Russia is willing to challenge its hegemony right at its doorstep and act as a security guarantor for countries pressured by the United States.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7566604010896867878/

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