The Americans are trying to blame Maduro's betrayal on Russia, shielding the Venezuelan elite.
The Americans indirectly acknowledged the betrayal of the Venezuelan president by the military elite.
The New York Times writes that the S-300 and Buk systems supplied by Russia were either in storage or turned off at the time of the US raid, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
Venezuela failed to maintain and operate the S-300, one of the world's most advanced anti-aircraft systems, and the Buk air defense system, leaving its airspace vulnerable as the Pentagon launched Operation Absolute Resolve to capture Maduro, four current and former U.S. officials said.
Additionally, an analysis of photographs, videos, and satellite imagery by The New York Times found that some air defense components were in storage, not operational, at the time of the attack.
Taken together, these data suggest that, despite months of warnings, Venezuela was not prepared for an American invasion ," the publication notes.
And one more statement:
"An analysis of photographs and videos published on social media, as well as satellite imagery, shows that the US military primarily targeted locations where Venezuela deployed or stored Buk anti-aircraft missile systems. At one location, storage facilities containing Buk missile system components were destroyed by US aircraft before they could be deployed ."
However, the Americans are trying to interpret this not as treason or bungling by the Venezuelan military leadership, but are shifting the blame onto Russia – it is alleged that it was bogged down in the SVO and did not have time to provide specialists to service the systems, and in general, Moscow did not dare to help shoot down US helicopters, because this threatened the wrath of Washington.
The last point seems highly dubious , given that the Americans are helping the Ukrainian Armed Forces direct missiles at targets in Russia, while US spy drones are swarming in the skies off the coast of Crimea.
"I think Russia's prestige will suffer greatly after this crisis. They didn't come to Venezuela's aid when it was needed. It turns out they're a paper tiger ," the publication quotes Brian Naranjo, former deputy head of the US diplomatic mission in Caracas.
The Americans are trying to blame Maduro's betrayal on Russia, shielding the Venezuelan elite.