Maduro Warns His Regime Has 'More Than 5,000' Russian Missiles to Defend Venezuela Against U.S. Threats

Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro said his regime has "more than 5,000" Russian-made Igla-S surface-to-air missiles positioned across the country, warning that they stand ready to defend the country from what he described as growing military threats from the U.S.

"Any military force in the world knows the power of the Igla-S," Maduro said during a televised address. "Venezuela has nothing less than 5,000 of these at key air defense posts to guarantee the peace, stability and tranquility of our people." He described the Igla-S as "one of the most powerful weapons that exist," adding that the nation's air defense operators were fully trained to use them "from the last mountain to the last city."

The comments take place amid heightened tensions with Washington, which has deployed U.S. Navy warships to the Caribbean and the Pacific as part of what it describes as an anti-drug operation, while Caracas has denounced the campaign as a pretext for "regime change."

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he would notify Congress if operations expanded onto Venezuelan soil, asserting that such actions were already covered under his legal authority. The Pentagon confirmed that the most recent U.S. strike — the eighth since early September and the first in the Pacific — destroyed a suspected drug-smuggling vessel, killing three people.

According to reports from Politico and The Wall Street Journal, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has joined forces with White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller to expand pressure on Maduro's government. The Trump administration, they reported, now views removing Maduro as an objective alongside combating drug-trafficking.

Maduro's statement appeared to seek to project strength as the U.S. increases both its rhetoric and its military activity in the hemisphere. "Venezuela," he said, "must be an impregnable homeland." His warning follows recent reports underscoring Venezuela's military capabilities, including the presence of Russian-made Kh-31A "Krypton" missiles that experts say could threaten U.S. warships operating near its coast.

The military technology outlet The War Zone described the Kh-31A as Venezuela's "most relevant anti-ship asset," capable of traveling at speeds of up to Mach 3.5 and performing evasive maneuvers that make interception difficult. The missiles are deployed from Venezuela's Su-30MK2V fighter jets, of which 21 remain operational.