Maduro Issues Comments Following Trump Declaration
Venezuela’s embattled President Nicolás Maduro has issued a stark warning to the United States — claiming his nation has more than 5,000 Russian-made Igla-S anti-aircraft missiles deployed across the country, from the mountains to the cities, ready to respond to any potential military incursion. The announcement comes at a moment of escalating tension in the Caribbean, where the Trump administration has significantly expanded its military presence as part of what it calls a counter-narcotics and anti-terror campaign.
“Any military force in the world knows the power of the Igla-S,” Maduro declared during a nationally broadcast event with military personnel. “Venezuela has no less than 5,000.”
The Igla-S — roughly equivalent to the American Stinger missile — is a man-portable, shoulder-fired weapon system designed to target low-flying aircraft, drones, and cruise missiles. Its range and mobility make it a formidable tool for guerrilla-style air defense, and Maduro’s statement suggests that these weapons are now embedded throughout Venezuela’s terrain and population centers.
The context for this revelation is a sharp uptick in U.S. military activity near Venezuelan shores. As of this month, President Donald Trump has deployed more than 4,500 Marines and sailors to the region, officially to combat narco-trafficking operations. But the message being sent — both to Maduro and to international observers — is unmistakably broader.
In recent weeks, Trump has floated the possibility of expanding operations to include land-based military action. “We are certainly looking at land now,” he said, noting that maritime interdiction efforts are already well underway. The administration has also authorized the CIA to conduct covert actions inside Venezuela, part of an intensifying pressure campaign designed to delegitimize Maduro and fracture his grip on power.
By tying Maduro to drug trafficking networks and labeling certain groups as terrorist organizations, the administration has been building the legal and political framework for potential direct action. To date, there has been no official decision to engage in open conflict, but the threat of force now hangs in the air — and Maduro appears to be treating it as very real.
In response, the Venezuelan government is mobilizing — not just with weapons, but with people. Maduro claims that more than 8 million reservists and volunteer militia members have been activated. While the accuracy of that figure is widely doubted by analysts, the political utility of the claim is clear: the image of a nation standing ready to resist a foreign invasion.
“They have the means to once again defeat this open conspiracy against the peace and stability of Venezuela,” Maduro said, painting the U.S. deployments as a modern-day imperial campaign.
Meanwhile, images of Venezuela’s Defense Minister, Vladimir Padrino, holding Igla launchers in Caracas serve as visual reinforcement of the state’s message: the country is armed, defiant, and preparing for any scenario. Yet, how effective those defenses would be against the full weight of U.S. military force — should it ever be used — is another matter entirely.
The missiles themselves are confirmed to be part of Venezuela’s arsenal by international military assessments, but the claim of 5,000 units, while not implausible given past Russian arms deals, remains unverified. Still, the statement serves its purpose — signaling that Venezuela intends to raise the cost of any intervention, whether by deterrence or attrition.
