Russia's ambassador to Venezuela has claimed that the capture of Nicolás Maduro by US forces was facilitated by internal betrayals and collaboration between Venezuelan officials and American intelligence services, in a striking admission that exposes deep fractures within the country's security apparatus.

Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov told Russia's Rossiya-24 television channel that "many local law enforcement officers did not do what they could do" during the January 3 military operation, suggesting systematic failures to defend the Venezuelan leader preceded his seizure by American special forces.

"If what had been going on here long before this happened could be called betrayal, naturally, it was betrayal," the ambassador said. "And we know the names of these betrayers who have fled Venezuela, who had been working systemically for the American intelligence."

The diplomat's extraordinary statements, broadcast against the backdrop of Moscow's lukewarm condemnation of the US intervention as violating international law, indicate Russia possesses intelligence identifying Venezuelan officials who allegedly cooperated with Washington ahead of "Operation Absolute Resolve," the military action that extracted Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from Caracas and transported them to New York to face narco-terrorism charges.

Melik-Bagdasarov went further, asserting that Venezuelan military personnel "received no commands" to resist the American assault despite having weapons and electronic systems capable of mounting a defence.

"Electronic systems and weaponry are controlled by military personnel. They don't fire without orders. That means no commands were issued," he told journalist Sergey Brilyov, hinting at a breakdown in the chain of command or deliberate inaction at senior levels during the operation.

The failure to activate defences appears to have extended to Russian-supplied air defence systems. Current and former US officials told The New York Times that key elements of Venezuela's S-300 and Buk-M2 surface-to-air missile batteries were not integrated with radar networks when American aircraft approached Venezuelan airspace. Some components remained in storage rather than deployed, leaving large sections of the country effectively undefended, a vulnerability that may reflect not only Venezuelan negligence but also the Kremlin's own strategic calculations about avoiding escalation with Washington at a time of intensified diplomatic efforts over the Ukraine conflict.

The ambassador described mounting tension throughout October and November 2025, with Venezuelan forces anticipating American action following naval incidents and strikes. However, he said a "false sense of being off the hook" developed after Christmas, creating vulnerability that Washington exploited.

"Any military structure accumulates fatigue," Melik-Bagdasarov said, explaining how prolonged alert status may have contributed to the security lapse that enabled Maduro's capture.

Following Maduro's ouster, acting president Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed leadership after her predecessor's capture, moved swiftly to consolidate control over Venezuela's fractured security apparatus. She appointed 12 senior officers to regional commands leading operational defence zones across multiple states, according to documents signed by Defence Minister General Vladimir Padrino López that circulated in local media.

Rodríguez also installed the former head of SEBIN, the civilian intelligence service, as commander of her presidential guard and director of DGCIM, the military counterintelligence agency. 

The reshuffles signal the interim government is moving to replace potentially disloyal elements and officers closely associated with Maduro within security forces.

Melik-Bagdasarov's willingness to openly discuss betrayal within Venezuela's security establishment on Russian state TV marks an unusual public airing of Moscow's frustration with its Latin American ally. Russia has consistently condemned the US operation as illegal intervention whilst maintaining that Washington violated international norms through military force.

Yet the ambassador's statements acknowledge that American military might alone cannot explain the operation's success. His emphasis on “inadequate” Venezuelan response and pre-existing collaboration networks suggests Moscow believes the Maduro regime's collapse resulted from internal rot rather than exclusively external aggression.

Maduro and Flores appeared in federal court in New York on January 5, where both pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges. Trump has stated Washington will "run" Venezuela during the interim period, working with Rodríguez's administration to secure American access to the country's vast oil reserves whilst maintaining threats of further military intervention should cooperation falter.