When Russia sent 100 troops to Venezuela last week, it sparked a lot of anger from the US, even if it wasn’t entirely clear what the 100 troops were doing there. Now, according to Elliott Abrams, the US believes that the troops are there to fix a broken Russian-made S-300 missile system.
The S-300s appear to be having some problems related to the recent power outage across Venezuela has harmed them a bit, and that they need Russian help to get the defense systems back online.
Just because there is a perfectly plausible, and legal, justification for Russian troops to be present in Venezuela doesn’t mean that the US isn’t still freaking out about it. Abrams went on to say that the US is considering imposing sanctions to punish them over this.
Abrams insists that the US will never allow Russia to have a “free hand” in Venezuela, even though if the US position is what they say it is, Russia would be doing the same sort of support and maintenance of sold weapons that the Trump Administration has repeatedly insisted that they are entitled to do in Saudi Arabia.
The Russians are probably curious about what appears to be a hybrid cyber-ECM/Electronic Warfare attack on the Venezuelan power grid.
Perhaps the S-300 system was the target and the civilian grid collateral damage or bonus points. An S-300 network should operate independently of the public power grid. If so this would be the first time the U.S. has publicly demonstrated this kind of capability.
Any ECM/EW attack capable of taking on the S-300 could do a hard number on unhardened civilian electronics.
Perhaps, tho, it would be incredibly stupid for the US to show their hand with no air op to gain. I assume the US systems have been used in Syria already. Perhaps US mercenaries and equipment were inserted into Venezuela at the time. I would bet on that since we dont know the whereabouts of John Kelly.
….but it was OK for us to have a “free hand” in Ukraine.
Whoever heard of a critical defense system relying on municipal power? I seriously doubt the S-300 requires shore power.
I strongly suspect this story about the S-300 is agitprop.
The US is the one seeking a free hand in Venezuela, and evidently the Russians won’t give it.
The usual drama queen antics of the US are on display.
The US is the Empire of Hypocrisy complaining about anyone in its backyard but it is in everyone else’s backyard.
“drama queen” ? More like thuggery…
100 Russians are to Venezuela as 400 U.S troops in Syria.
There are lots more than 100 Russians in Venezuela, the special forces folks don’t arrive at the international airport in day light.
And there are lot more than 400 in Syria. They are disguised as mild manner spooks that terror groups.
Abrams in washington to pick the peanuts from trump’s turds.
in 2009, Venezuela bought ( $ 1.0 Billion) Antey-2500 missile systems which are an export version of the S-300. I suspect the system is being upgraded to the more capable S-300V4 which boasts longer range and better targeting.