- January 4, 2026
- 11:23 am
- World News
The arrest of Nicolás Maduro by American forces has become an event whose consequences extend far beyond Venezuela. It is not a local operation or a one-time episode, but a signal of systemic changes in the international configuration of forces. For the Kremlin, what happened looks like another blow to the network of alliances and supports built over the years outside Europe.
Weakening of Moscow’s external contour
In recent years, Russia has tried to compensate for isolation in the West by expanding its presence in “friendly” regimes — in the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. Syria, Iran, and Venezuela were considered elements of a single geopolitical arc, providing resources, influence, and symbolic opposition to the USA.
The war against Ukraine became a destructive factor for this structure. It absorbed Moscow’s military, financial, and diplomatic resources, making it impossible to actively defend even formal allies.
Loss of ability to protect partners
The first alarming signal was Syria. Moscow effectively abandoned active protection of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, limiting itself to evacuation and transferring control of the situation to regional players. This was perceived as a renunciation of long-term commitments.
Then followed Iran. When the USA and Israel struck Iranian infrastructure, the Kremlin again limited itself to statements. The ally received no practical support, which sharply reduced the value of the Russian “security guarantee” in the eyes of regional regimes.
The arrest of Maduro became a logical continuation of this line. One of Moscow’s key partners in the Western Hemisphere was left defenseless against US actions. For a system where loyalty is built on fear and calculation, this is an extremely dangerous signal.
Demonstration of weakness as a factor of disintegration
In an authoritarian international environment, strength is the main argument. When an ally is arrested and taken away without a serious reaction from the patron, it is perceived as a loss of status. In this situation, the Kremlin looks not like a center of power, but as a player unable to fulfill its own promises.
This changes the behavior of those around. Potential partners begin to distance themselves, while existing ones seek alternative channels of protection. Moscow’s geopolitical network loses density and stability.
Economic dimension of the blow
Venezuela was important not only politically but also economically. Control over oil flows, gray supply schemes, financial agreements — all this complemented the military and diplomatic alliance. Now the fate of these mechanisms is in question.
The loss of access to Venezuelan resources increases pressure on the Russian economy, already weakened by sanctions and war expenses. In conditions of declining revenues, it becomes increasingly difficult for the Kremlin to support external projects.
Domino effect
The arrest of Maduro may trigger a chain reaction. Regimes oriented towards Moscow are closely watching how it behaves in crisis moments. The lack of decisive actions undermines trust and accelerates the process of reorientation.
In this sense, Venezuela is not an exception, but an indicator. Russia’s system of external alliances is entering a phase of disintegration, where each new episode reinforces the previous one.
New balance
What is happening does not mean the immediate collapse of Russian influence, but it fixes a long-term trend. The Kremlin is losing the ability to project power beyond its immediate surroundings, and its allies are losing confidence in the reliability of such a partnership.
The arrest of Maduro became a marker of this transformation. It showed that Moscow’s global position no longer relies on real protection of allies, and therefore will inevitably shrink. It is such shifts that form the new international reality, closely monitored by NAnews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency.
