Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro commissioned an award called the 'Architect of Peace' and awarded it solely to himself between 12:16 a.m. and 1:15 a.m. UTC on December 19, 2025, to compete with opposition leader Maria Corina Machado's Nobel Peace Prize campaign, according to an X post by @agusantonetti (status 2001799668213109245). The New York Times reported on December 18, 2025, that U.S. President Donald Trump relies on distortions to support his pressure campaign on Venezuela, in an article linked on X during the reporting window. X user @BenniKim stated that Maracaibo and Caracas are protected by S-125 Neva/Pechora-2M surface-to-air missile systems featuring VHF radar effective against stealth aircraft, citing the 1999 downing of an F-117 over Kosovo, as posted between 12:16 a.m. and 1:15 a.m. UTC on December 19 (status 2001431437396803752). The post quoted @AnalyticaCamil1 noting that F-35 stealth is limited against VHF-band radars, linking to an Australian Air Power analysis. These developments follow President Trump's decision on a Venezuela course of action after National Security Council deliberations, as reported by the Wall Street Journal on December 18, and occur amid a U.S. Justice Department crackdown on the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua announced by the FBI late on December 18.
