A senior-ranking lawmaker in Russia’s lower parliament defense committee said the Kremlin has sent new air defense systems to Venezuela as the latter comes under heightened military pressure from the US.
While speaking to Russian news outlet Gazeta, Alexei Zhuravlev, the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, listed several weapons that Moscow previously supplied to Caracas, including Su-30MK2 fighters and S-300VMs.
He also mentioned the recent arrival of a system not publicly known to be in Venezuela’s arsenal: the Pantsir-S1.
“According to the latest information, Russian Pantsir-S1 and Buk-M2E systems were just recently delivered to Caracas by Il-76 transport aircraft,” Zhuravlev told Gazeta, which published his comments on Saturday.
If true, his remarks indicate further rapprochement between Russia and Venezuela amid Caracas’ escalating tensions with the US. While it’s unclear where the new air defenses were sourced, such deliveries also stand to affect Russia’s military inventory amid its ongoing war of attrition against Ukraine.
Additionally, Zhuravlev hinted that Russia could be open to sending offensive weapons, such as ballistic missiles, to Venezuela.
Business Insider could not verify the authenticity of the lawmaker’s comments. FlightRadar data shows that an Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane landed in Caracas on October 26, before flying to other Latin American countries known to be politically aligned with the Kremlin.
The aircraft was operated by Aviacon Zitotrans, a Russian cargo airline sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in 2023.
Washington said the company is known to transport defense equipment such as rockets, warheads, and helicopter parts, and listed Venezuela as one of Aviacon Zitotrans’ delivery destinations.
Flight data shows that the Il-76 returned to Caracas on October 29, where it stayed for about a day before flying to Havana.
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Still, it’s unclear if the aircraft was carrying Pantsir S-1 systems and if this was the plane referred to by Zhuravlev.
Venezuela’s Russian air defense network
The Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile system provides short- to medium-range air defense and is significantly more modern than the Pechora-2Ms that Venezuela received from Russia over a decade ago.
The newer-generation Pantsir-S1 is generally more mobile, features superior sensors, and is more effective at engaging flying targets at lower altitudes compared to the Pechora-2M, which was designed during the Soviet era.
The Pantsir-S1 would help complement the S-300VMs and Buk-M2s that Venezuela also purchased from Russia years ago.
The S-300VM can roughly cover distances of up to 120 miles and is typically used to counter ballistic missiles and fighter aircraft, while the Buk-M2 covers about 30 miles and is more suited for engaging aircraft, helicopters, and cruise missiles.
In contrast, the Pantsir-S1 has a range of 12 to 20 miles and is often used to provide point air defense, sometimes serving as protection for longer-range assets such as the S-300VM.
Lawmaker floats idea of Oreshnik for Venezuela
In his interview with Gazeta, Zhuravlev said that Russia wasn’t restricted from supplying modern offensive missiles to Venezuela.
“Information about the volumes and exact names of what’s being imported from Russia is classified, so the Americans could be in for some surprises,” he told the outlet.
The lawmaker did not say if any deliveries were made, but added that he saw no issues with Russia sending the Oreshnik ballistic missile or Kalibr cruise missiles to Caracas.
“At least, no international obligations restrict Russia from doing so,” he said.
Venezuela’s government has been on edge as the US ramps up military presence in the Caribbean and carries out airstrikes on boats that the Trump administration accused of trafficking drugs.
Last month, the US Navy deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford, its largest and latest aircraft carrier, to the region alongside at least nine other warships.
As Washington’s posture grows more aggressive, the US has charged Maduro with narcoterrorism, which he denies. President Donald Trump has repeatedly referenced the possibility of attacking Venezuela directly, but has also been issuing contradictory statements on his plans.
In an interview with CBS that aired on Sunday, Trump downplayed the possibility of the US going to war with Venezuela.
“I doubt it. I don’t think so. But they’ve been treating us very badly,” he said.
Press teams for the White House, Pentagon, and State Department did not respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours. The Russian Defense Ministry also did not respond to a similar request.
