Venezuela’s President Says Country Has 5,000 Russian Missiles for Air Defense

VENEZUELA – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says his country has deployed more than 5,000 Igla-S air defense systems across strategic locations, calling them crucial to safeguarding Venezuela’s peace and stability.

Maduro made the announcement during a recent televised address, as the United States stepped up military strikes against suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean and Pacific.

The Trump administration says the moves are part of an expanded counternarcotics campaign. But Maduro is calling the strikes a violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty.