Russian war bloggers stated over the past 59 minutes through 8:45 a.m. UTC on Jan. 5, 2026, that the fall of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro constitutes a strategic defeat for Russia, with Moscow too weak to aid allies like Syria, Iran, and Venezuela, according to an X post by Tendar citing commentator RND. Iran stated that its relations with close ally Venezuela remain unchanged despite the United States capturing Maduro and transporting him to New York for trial, as reported by Al Arabiya English on X during the reporting window. An X user reported observing strong smoke in Caracas and inquired about a possible big fire, according to a post by Beadrian. Separately, another post noted reports from 2:30 a.m. local time of planes heard again over Caracas, shared by amilcarrock approximately one hour ago. These developments follow Venezuelan Armed Forces (FANB) videos released earlier on Jan. 5 rejecting claims of Maduro's and Cilia Flores' kidnapping, featuring military equipment including Russian Su-30MK2 jets, as reported through 5:15 a.m. UTC.
