At least 16 oil tankers subject to U.S. sanctions made coordinated attempts to evade a U.S. naval blockade on Venezuela’s energy exports over the last two days, disguising locations or turning off transmission signals, according to The New York Times reports shared on X over the past hour through 9:45 a.m. UTC on Jan. 5, 2026. The New York Times detailed a simultaneous departure by multiple tankers, cited in posts by AZ_Intel_ and trbrtc referencing journalists AKurmanaev. These efforts follow the U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and transport to New York for trial, as previously reported. A viral video circulating online depicts Venezuelans in Buenos Aires celebrating Maduro's capture on Saturday night in Plaza de la Republica, with the Obelisco illuminated in Venezuelan flag colors, as fact-checked by Shayan86 on X. The footage, first shared by Buenos Aires official Jorge Macri, shows crowds waving Venezuelan flags, confirmed by multiple live feeds. Russian war bloggers previously described Maduro's fall as a strategic defeat for Moscow, stating Russia lacks capacity to aid allies like Venezuela, according to an X post by Tendar during the prior reporting window through 8:45 a.m. UTC. These naval evasion attempts come amid ongoing U.S. pressure on Venezuelan oil following Maduro's detention, with historical context including Russian military deployments to Caracas in 2018-2019 aimed at influencing U.S. policy, resurfaced in X posts by davetroy this morning.
