Noticias RCN had exclusive access to intelligence reports and secret documents of the Bolivarian armed forces detailing the military capabilities of Venezuela.
In the last 15 years they have invested close to 5,000 million dollars in missiles, war tanks, planes and all kinds of state-of-the-art military equipment. Venezuelan soldiers have even traveled to Russia to train in the handling of this equipment.
Since 2019 and with the support of Russia, China, Iran y Cubathey would have created 5 infantry battalions, 3 of them located on the border with Colombia, where around 100 Russian soldiers would remain training in the use of powerful artillery systems.
The expansion of its war power would be in accordance with the Bolivarian national project that since Chávez and now with Maduro, intends to expand the revolution throughout the continent.
“Here the FARC are welcome in Venezuela. Iván Márquez, Santrich, Piedad Córdoba”, stated Nicolás Maduro on July 29, 2019.
According to the former director of the Bolivarian intelligence service, the rearmament of Venezuela has had a single purpose, “to remain in power and give support to its allies on the continent.”
According to the Colombian authorities, since 2019 the Venezuelan armed forces went from having defensive to offensive military plans to defend the regime, even planning to attack Colombian territory or any external threat.
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The powerful weapons that the Venezuelan regime has
Little by little, Venezuela armed itself strategically. According to intelligence information, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces currently have 24 Dragon 300-type amphibious combat vehicles, 61 V100 armored vehicles, 99 T-7281 combat vehicles armed and armored against chemical weapons, 84 Scorpion 90-type armored tanks, one of the fastest and lightest in the world and 85 AMX-type artillery medium tanks.
“Hugo Chávez spoke of multipolarity. The idea was the convergence of other powers in the region to weaken the influence of the United States in the region. Agreements were established there with China, Russia, Iran and other countries hostile to the US and NATO, which resulted in a marked imbalance in rearmament,” said General Manuel Cristopher Figuera.
On the other hand, intelligence agencies assured that they also have powerful missile systems such as the MSTA, trucks that have self-propelled artillery, 8 shots per minute, and can hit targets at 36 kilometers.
In addition, they have one of the most powerful rocket launchers in the world, it is the BM-21 Grad, also known as hail and which has a range of 45 km. In 20 seconds, launch 40 projectiles that can destroy an area of 14 hectares.
Another of the powerful weapons that the neighboring country has is the BM-30, a Russian-made system with a destruction capacity of 70 hectares and a range of up to 90 kilometers.
According to information, four of these would be located on the border with Colombia, specifically in the military forts of Mara in Zulia, Morotuto in Táchira, Venezuela, and Fuerte Carreño, Apure. Each is equipped with 36 missiles.
For experts, Venezuela’s current capabilities allow it air superiority to attack targets anywhere in Colombia. Its missile artillery accompanied by tanks and armored vehicles make it easy for it to occupy the territory.
“The Sukoy Ruson systems are powerful, the Pechora artillery system is powerful, Chinese planes have powerful ones, but Colombia should not be concerned that Venezuela has armed itself because before Petro came to power, the Colombian guerrillas were a retaining wall. in the face of an eventual invasion by the United States,” added Figuera.
However, other military analysts agree that even if they so decide, they can carry out attacks from Venezuelan territory against Colombian targets that are within a range of 90 kilometers from the border and without the need to occupy the territory.
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The infantry battalions located near the border with Colombia
Additionally, the Venezuelan Army with international advice would have created five reinforced infantry battalions since 2019. These are combined arms tactical units made up of nearly 100 Russian soldiers whose mission is to train the Bolivarian army and militias. This would be evidenced by photographs known exclusively by Noticias RCN where several alleged Russian soldiers are seen giving instruction to Venezuelan soldiers.
The images were taken at Fort Terepaima, the headquarters of one of the infantry battalions located in Lara state. Apparently, members of the Bolivarian Army would be trained by Russian soldiers in regular warfare, handling of the electromagnetic spectrum and cyber intelligence.
Each of the battalions is made up of 700 soldiers, has at least 30 combat tanks, 4 missile systems with a range of 40 km and 4 self-propelled artillery and anti-missile systems, weapons that provide them with superior fire and attack.
Three of the five battalions are located on the border with Colombia. One in the Mara municipality, Zulia state, another in the La Fría municipality in Táchira, and one more in the Elorza municipality, Apure state, the latter having been created so far in 2022.
According to intelligence agencies, the most recent movement of Russian troops in Venezuela was on February 9, when a commission made up of 6 Russian soldiers arrived at the facilities of the 92nd Brigade in the state of Apure.
What worries the Colombian authorities is the location of these battalions, which are only 40 kilometers from Colombian territory, and which are aimed at occupying and controlling the area.
It is worth mentioning that this same battalion configuration was used in the war with Ukraine in 2014 and allowed Russia to control some regions.
Venezuela plans to create two more battalions, for a total of 7, of which 5 are already positioned in command posts. In addition to this, the Bolivarian armed forces located 2 Iranian artillery drones on the border with Vichada, capable of attacking any target.
Photographs would reveal a plan underway to build 10 more drones in Venezuela with Iranian technology that would be equipped with powerful missiles.
The most worrying thing is that this rearmament would point to what they themselves call the Independence Campaign Plan of the Bolivarian Armed Forces, which identifies 55 strategic assets in Colombia to supposedly attack in the event of a possible conflict. All this under a single purpose, to recreate the general captaincy of Venezuela that consists of reclaiming 291,268 kilometers of Colombian territory that belonged to that country in colonial times.