The remnants of Venezuela’s corrupt military establishment are in full meltdown mode.
In a defiant and heavily scripted video address broadcast on Venezuelan state television, top generals still loyal to disgraced socialist Nicolás Maduro lashed out at the United States, accusing Washington of “colonialism” while demanding the immediate release of the narco-tyrant and his wife following Saturday’s stunning U.S. operation.
Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López claimed the removal of Maduro was an “abduction” and a “premeditated act of military aggression” against the Venezuelan state.
The defense minister went on to insist that Venezuela’s so-called “free elections” in 2024 were legitimate, an assertion flatly contradicted by years of documented voter intimidation, opposition bans, rigged courts, and regime-controlled election authorities.
In a particularly absurd segment of the address, Padrino López attempted to portray Cilia Flores, Maduro’s wife and a U.S.-indicted co-conspirator, as a persecuted moral figure.
He described Flores as a “Christian woman” and “a woman of principles,” claiming she was “bravely abducted” and led away in handcuffs, carefully omitting her documented role in corruption, money laundering, and cartel-linked activities.
Padrino López also claimed that “legitimate governments” around the world are rallying to Maduro’s defense and warning that what happened in Venezuela could happen “anywhere tomorrow.”
This, despite the fact that the loudest protests are coming from the usual axis of authoritarian regimes, Cuba, Iran, Russia, and other failed or failing states, are terrified that accountability might be contagious.
Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López:
“We have seen an unprecedented deployment of forces against the Republic. It was premeditated.It was a form of military aggression which has resulted in the terrible consequences we see.
We are greatly worried by the violence, the barbarity, and the criminal action that has been brought against our sovereignty. Yesterday, the individual who represents the people of Venezuela as their president was abducted. President Nicolás Maduro Moros is the constitutional president, elected by the people for the term 2025 to 2031.
President Nicolás Maduro is the genuine, authentic constitutional leader of all Venezuelans. Free elections took place in this country in 2024.
Direct universal suffrage resulted in a guaranteed, secure electoral process in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, as has been the case for the last 25 years.
We, here in the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, demand the immediate release of the constitutional president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
We demand his release. He has been abducted along with the First Lady of the Republic, Dr. Cilia Flores de Maduro. These acts have been carried out not only against the legitimate president of Venezuela, but also against a Christian woman, a woman of principles, who was also abducted and taken away in handcuffs—a brave, courageous woman. We call for her release, along with that of the president of all Venezuelans.
We call on the world. We urge the world to turn its eyes to what is happening—what is being done against Venezuela, against its sovereignty, and against its Constitution.
At the same time, we welcome the immediate response we have heard from governments and peoples around the world. From all corners of the globe, from all legitimate governments—with some exceptions—we heard a clear condemnation of this violation of Venezuelan sovereignty. The world recognizes what is happening as a threat to the global order.
The world needs to be on guard, because if it was Venezuela yesterday, it could be anywhere tomorrow.
These colonialist ambitions being imposed on our country—the spirit of the Monroe Doctrine applied here in Latin America and the Caribbean—are something we firmly reject. We advocate peace, political dialogue, understanding, and respect for human rights and international law. That is our genuine desire.
The Bolivarian National Armed Forces have always been an institution that guarantees the democratic and constitutional continuity of the country. What would have happened if the previous institutions that were in charge of the country were still here today? What would have happened if we had allowed anarchy and chaos to prevail?”
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