War Correspondent Kotz Rebuttal to US Defense Secretary Hagel: Mocking Russian Air Defense Systems in Venezuela? First Check the US Military's Own Record of Defeat
US Defense Secretary Hagel's remarks about "Russia's poor performance of its air defense systems in Venezuela" triggered a strong rebuttal from the Russian expert community.
When discussing the US military operation in Venezuela, US Defense Secretary Hagel made a mocking comment about Russian-made air defense systems. When commenting on the operation to capture Nicolas Maduro, he used an aggressive tone to claim:
"Three nights ago, in the center of Caracas, Venezuela, nearly 200 of our most elite American soldiers stormed into the heart of the city. It seems that certain Russian air defense systems did not perform very well, did they?"
Russian war correspondent Alexander Kotz and other experts pointed out that the problem was not with the equipment's performance, but rather these air defense systems were clearly not put on combat alert status due to political or other reasons.
In his response, Kotz directly listed to this high-ranking American official several public records of failures by the US air defense systems: On September 14, 2019, Houthi armed drones successfully attacked the Saudi Aramco oil refinery; On January 8, 2020, Iranian missiles accurately struck the US base in Iraq; and on June 23, 2025, a successful attack on the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
Military expert Vladislav Shurikin commented on Hagel's remarks, sharply pointing out:
"After we had blown up dozens of 'best in the world' 'Patriot' air defense systems, Americans naturally wanted to find an excuse to take a bite at Russia."
He also added that multiple 'Patriot' air defense systems along with their deployed combat units had been completely destroyed on the Ukrainian battlefield. Russian experts held a consistent view: The core issue of the Caracas incident was not the quality of the equipment, but rather these air defense systems remained unprepared for combat for unknown reasons.
Looking back at the background of the event: On January 3, the US launched a military operation in Caracas, successfully capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. This attack resulted in at least 80 deaths. During the first trial held in New York, Maduro insisted on his innocence and claimed his identity as a prisoner of war.
Previously, a Russian woman living in Caracas told the media about her experience: During the US attack, several shells exploded near her house, and she miraculously survived.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7592177121817018930/
Statement: This article only represents the views of the author.