"A surprise raid on the capital in the dead of night, ending with the capture of the country's leader. By the following day, the invading power announces it will rule the nation for an indefinite period. That was how Vladimir Putin envisaged his full-scale invasion of Ukraine playing out in February 2022. Instead, it was Donald Trump who pulled it off in Venezuela, in an operation condemned by many as illegal, whisking away the Kremlin's historic ally Nicolas Maduro,"
"The operation was carried out competently, wrote the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Dva Mayora, which has close ties to the Russian military. Most likely, this is exactly how our special military operation' was meant to unfold: fast, dramatic and decisive. It's hard to believe [Valery] Gerasimov planned to be fighting for four years, it added, referring to Russia's chief of the general staff."
A surprise night raid in Venezuela captured President Nicolas Maduro and led to an invading power announcing indefinite rule. The operation was credited to Donald Trump and condemned as illegal. Russian officials publicly denounced the attack as a flagrant violation of international law. Privately, some Russian voices expressed grudging respect and envy at the coup's effectiveness, noting it resembled how Moscow imagined a rapid seizure of Ukraine. Pro-Kremlin channels praised the operation's competence and suggested Russia's own special military operation was meant to be fast and decisive. The episode prompted soul-searching among pro-war Russians who question why the promised blitzkrieg in Ukraine became a protracted war.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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