Between the theatricality of power and the shadow of hybrid warfare, the Portable Anti-Aircraft Missile Defense System Iglas-s 9K338 stands as the secret weapon of the revolution.
In Caracas, Nicolás Maduro has turned once again to his most effective weapon: the narrative of siege. Confronted with a backdrop of diplomatic isolation, internal fractures, and an economy on the brink of collapse, the Venezuelan dictator raised the stakes of the geopolitical conflict with a warning that echoed in Western chancelleries: “Venezuela has five thousand Russian Igla-S anti-aircraft missiles deployed at key defense points of the homeland.”
The message, delivered amid cheers at the General Ezequiel Zamora Military Lyceum, was framed as a demonstration of “sovereignty and armed popular power.” Yet beneath the surface of the speech lies a more elaborate strategy: projecting strength amid growing internal political weakness while simultaneously redirecting international attention toward a new axis of tension—which conveniently includes his Colombian ally, Gustavo Petro.
Theater of Power
For months, Caracas and Bogotá have seemed to perform a shared script. Petro defends himself against accusations of corruption and ties to drug trafficking, while Maduro seeks to legitimize and maintain his power. In both cases, the response has been the same: turning the crisis into a patriotic crusade.
Maduro, aware of the media impact of every gesture, revived the old narrative of “U.S. invasion,” a tactic that Chavismo has used for two decades to unify its base and justify military control of the country.
But this time, he added an explosive ingredient: the revelation of the arsenal of Igla-S 9K338 missiles, portable Russian systems capable of taking down low-flying aircraft and, according to him, scattered “even in the last mountain” of national territory.
The Portable Anti-Aircraft Missile Defense System Iglas-s 9K338 is the revolution’s secret weapon, including missiles with a maximum altitude: targets can be destroyed at 2000 m for planes and 3000 m for helicopters. The pursuit capability reaches 2500 m for planes and 3500 m for helicopters. The minimum altitude is 10 m.
This assertion was not improvised. Internal documents from REDI N° 8 and ZODI Nº 81 confirmed that Special Forces units, under the command of Major Antonio José Velásquez Carrasquel, have received tactical training on handling the portable missile systems. According to the martial language of the reports, this is part of the “Second Strategic Line ordered by the Constitutional President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Commander in Chief of the FANB: to deepen and perfect doctrinal, ideological, moral, and technical military training.”
The Message Behind the Missiles
The use of the Igla-S transcends military purposes and serves as a carefully crafted political message.
Each time the regime announces a defense exercise or showcases its Russian arsenal, it activates a propaganda mechanism aimed at achieving three objectives:
Reaffirm internal control. The Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) remains the cornerstone of Chavista power. Reminding them that “the enemy lurks” serves as a way to maintain cohesion in the barracks and justify the presence of loyal officers throughout the state.
Divert international conversation. The previous media focus on the allegations against Gustavo Petro and the diplomatic pressure on Caracas due to post-electoral repression dissipates amidst headlines about missiles and U.S. fleets in the Caribbean.
Exhibit strategic autonomy. Maduro aims to present an image of strength to allies—Russia, Iran, and Cuba—claiming that Venezuela remains a military anti-Western enclave in the hemisphere.
Padrino López and the Doctrine of Encirclement
The defense minister of the regime, Vladimir Padrino López, completed the script by declaring that the recent “Coast Defense Independence 200 Exercises” aim to “consolidate the nation’s military power” and turn the territory into an impregnable fortress.
The maneuvers—conducted simultaneously in Zulia, Falcón, Carabobo, Aragua, Miranda, La Guaira, Anzoátegui, Nueva Esparta, and Sucre—are part of a strategy of “territorialization of defense,” a concept copied from the Soviet doctrine of prolonged people’s war.
“Defense tasks are not exclusive to the FANB; they are of the whole people,” Padrino stated. This phrase, seemingly patriotic, reveals the core of the Chavista doctrine: militarize society so that the line between state, party, and people disappears.
A War That Needs No Bullets
What Maduro and his circle are attempting to build is a cognitive war narrative, where perception is the true battlefield.
The display of missiles, military exercises, and fiery speeches is not aimed at preparing for a real confrontation with the United States but rather at shaping the perception of power. In the age of disinformation, the most effective weapons do not always fire projectiles but rather headlines.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis persists. Millions of Venezuelans struggle through blackouts, shortages, and repression. Yet the regime prefers to talk about “missiles to ensure peace.”
Epiloque: The Burning Ranch
“Venezuela has 5,000 Igla-S and the ranch burning,” Maduro said with a calculated smile. The phrase, seemingly colloquial, served as a wink to the loyalists: a message of defiance and warning.
However, in the halls of power—and in Western intelligence forums—the interpretation is different: the regime, pressured by sanctions and the disintegration of its own internal forces, will increasingly resort to symbolic militarization to sustain itself.
The people, whom Maduro claims “are also for the change,” watch from below as the Chavista elite erect imaginary trenches while the country continues to bleed.