Vladimir Putin has sent one of his top generals to Venezuela, along with troops tasked with training Nicolás Maduro’s forces, according to a Ukrainian intelligence official.
The revelation comes as the US continues to amass a huge military presence in the region, with Donald Trump considering an attack on the South American country.
Ukraine’s Lt General Kyrlo Budanov has said that Colonel General Oleg Makarevich is leading Russia’s ‘Equator Task Force’, a group of more than 120 personnel who are coaching the Venezuelan army on everything from infantry tactics to drone use.
Budanov claims that the Russian mission was already in place before the United States dramatically increased its number of equipment and personnel close to Venezuela.
The Ukrainian spy chief spoke as Trump’s administration maintains a large number of US warships, aircraft and troops close to Venezuelan waters.
Washington says the deployment is aimed at drug traffickers, but it is also part of a campaign to pressure Maduro to resign. Trump’s senior advisers, including defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, are said to be presenting him with options for military operations.
Budanov argued that Makarevich and his men would not leave if the United States launched an attack.
He told The War Zone: ‘I think they will be behind the scenes and officially, Russia will try to speak to the US because their units are in Venezuela. It’s just a game.’
He described the Russian contingent as ‘military advisors and also teachers,’ and said they were providing training for infantry units, UAV operators and special forces. He added that the task force was also helping Venezuela gather signals intelligence.
Colonel General Oleg Makarevich is leading a group of around 120 personnel training the Venezuelan army, according to a top Ukrainian intelligence official
Vladimir Putin seen in a screenshot with Oleg Makarevich in April 2023. The top army official is said to have been in Venezuela even before the US began amassing its military presence
Budanov said the Russian presence is not new, explaining that Moscow has maintained rotating advisory teams in Venezuela for years.
He said he had seen no increase in Russian numbers since the US build-up began, although Makarevich appears to have had his stay extended beyond the usual six-month rotation.
Documents shared by Budanov place Makarevich and around ninety Russian personnel in Caracas, with others stationed in Maracaibo, La Guaira and Aves Island.
The United States also trains and advises partner forces across Latin America, providing operational guidance and observation roles in several countries.
Earlier this month, a senior Russian lawmaker, Alexei Zhuravlev, listed a number of weapons he claims the country sent to Venezuela, including SU-30MK2 fighters and S-300VMs. He also said Putin had sent in the Pantsir-S1, which is not known to be among Venezuela’s arsenal.
But Budanov said he could not confirm Zhuravlev’s claims. He noted: ‘The Buk-M2 we see,’ he said. ‘The Pantsir we don’t know about.’
Zhuravlev has warned that Russia could send more advanced weapons to the country, including long-range missiles.
Western officials have also raised concerns that Moscow might supply Iranian-style Shahed drones capable of long-distance strikes.
For years, Venezuela has been Russia’s most important trading and military partner in South America. Earlier this year, Putin and Maduro signed a deal which strengthened their partnership.
Putin and Maduro in Moscow earlier this year. For years, Venezuela has been Russia’s most important partner in South America
Makarevich, 62, is often seen as a controversial figure – he was removed as commander of Russia’s Dnipro Group in October 2023 after Ukrainian forces pushed Russian troops out of Kherson a year earlier.
Ukraine has also accused him of ordering the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam in June 2023, which caused major flooding.
During the second Chechen war in 2002, he was accused of commanding deliberate attacks on innocent civilians in Grozny.
Fears that the US will launch an attack on Venezuela reached fever pitch after Trump sent the 1106ft USS Gerald R Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, to the region.
It reached the Caribbean waters on November 11, with more than 4,000 sailors, fighter jets, and supporting vessels, including the USS Rampage and USS Normandy in tow.
The deployment joins 10 U.S. Marine Corps F-35s stationed in Puerto Rico, just 500 miles from Venezuela, along with AV-8 Harrier jump jets and AH-1 attack helicopters.
As it stands, there are now around 12,700 US personnel in the region.
A mobile air traffic tower and communications equipment normally used to manage a surge of aircraft in war zones have also been moved to the Rafael Hernandez Airport in Puerto Rico.
Ground crew work around US Marine Corps F-35B fighter jets parked on the tarmac at a military base in Puerto Rico
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier leading supporting vessels as it sails towards the Caribbean. The vessels arrived in November 13
Gen. Dan Caine, Trump’s primary military adviser, centre in Puerto Rico yesterday as senior army officials say troops are on standby for the go-ahead from Trump to launch an attack
Yesterday, Gen. Dan Caine, the US president’s primary military adviser, visited troops positioned in Puerto Rico to ‘engage with service members and thank them for their outstanding support to regional missions.’
Senior officials in the US have said the army has been on standby waiting for the US president to give the go-ahead for an attack. Despite this, several analysts have noted that the US would need way more personnel to be able to launch a successful attack.
The recent escalation came to a head in September when the US struck a small boat they claimed was involved in drug trafficking, killing 11 people.
Since then, the US has opened fire on at least 21 vessels, leaving 83 people dead. Maduro and other leaders in the region have strongly rebuked the US’ actions.
So far, the US has not provided any evidence to support claims that the boats were part of a drug smuggling network.
The US has accused Maduro of leading and protecting a criminal network known as the Cartel of the Suns. On Monday, it designated the group as a terrorist organisation.
Maduro has hit back at the amassing of troops and military equipment, accusing the US of using its operation against drug trafficking as a guise to attack Venezuela and topple his government.
The current spat heightened after the US struck several vessels in the Caribbean waters since September
He is also said to be mulling over different options of defence, should the US launch an attack, including arming civilians and staging guerrilla attacks.
Trump has long stood by his position that Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela.
He has accused the South American leader of a number of atrocities and even set aside a $50million reward for information that would lead to his arrest.
Maduro, 63, who has led his country since 2013, has been seen as a dictator who has presided over one of the most corrupt governments in the world.
He has also been accused of election fraud and several human rights abuses.
Rights groups say he has overseen thousands of extrajudicial killings since he took office. Millions of people have also been forced to flee the country.
