A Cuban soldier described the scenes that unfolded when U.S. troops arrived in Caracas to capture authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro.
In a TV interview, the soldier noted that he, along with fellow troops, were "carrying out our mission in Venezuela, supporting the country in its defense against imperialism."
He went on to detail the moment when the attack began, calling it "disproportionate." "It involved planes, bombs, drones, as well as two Apache helicopters that strafed indiscriminately the area where we were, seeking to leave no one alive."
⚠️⚠️Un militar cubano herido durante la captura de Nicolás Maduro, cuenta cómo fue el ataque de las tropas estadounidenses.
— Mag Jorge Castro🇨🇺 (@MagJorgeCastro) January 15, 2026
Dice que estaba de misión en #Venezuela “ayudando en la defensa contra el imperialismo” pic.twitter.com/0bNZQ65qhU
"They showed particular brutality toward our companions. Evidently, their purpose was ending the life of all of us who were in that place," he added.
Another account from the operation was shared by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt this past weekend. It involves a Venezuelan guard who said that "radar systems shut down without any explanation." "The next thing we saw were drones, a lot of drones, flying over our positions," he added.
The guard went on to say that only a "small number" of ground forces arrived in the premises, but they were "technologically very advanced" and "didn't look like anything we've fought against before."
The guard then noted that Venezuelan forces attempted to fight, but the confrontation was a "massacre." "We were hundreds, but we had no chance. They were shooting with such precision and speed... it seemed like each soldier was firing 300 rounds per minute. We couldn't do anything," he added. Overall, some 100 Venezuelan forces were killed in the January 3 attack, according to Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello. I
Asked if their weapons had chances to pose some kind of counter-attack to U.S. forces, the guard said no because "it wasn't just the weapons." "At one point, they launched something—I don't know how to describe it... it was like a very intense sound wave. Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside. We all started bleeding from the nose. Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move," the guard noted,
Elsewhere, an AFP report quoted a former officer of the Venezuelan army saying that Cuban intelligence convinced the Maduro regime that the U.S. would never attack the South American country, a notion that played a significant role in his capture.
Once the operation already began, different factors contributed to its success. The New York Times detailed that the country's advanced air defense systems bought from Russia were not connected to the radar when U.S. forces descended in Caracas.
The outlet claimed that the military's "incompetence" played a large role in the success of the operation, as its antiaircraft systems were practically disconnected during the operation.
Moreover, it's possible they have not worked for years, according to analysts and former officials cited by the NYT. Videos and satellite imagery reviewed by the outlet determined that some components were still in storage at the time of the attack.
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