Maduro Is Captured: Four Months of Prep, One Night of Action

January 4, 2026January 6, 2026

Now that Maduro is captured and in the United States, we can analyze the preparation and execution of the operation. Right away, let’s note what we won’t be commenting on. 1 — the words of old Donnie, who forgot to take his dementia pills and started spouting another batch of nonsense. 2 – Orcs’¹ statements, since right now in the Swamps² their asses burn so bright you can see it from orbit. If an opportunity arises, we’ll break down the Orcs’ reaction in a separate publication. For now, let’s simply describe everything that happened from a military perspective.

The capture and evacuation of a living Maduro — and as a bonus, his wife — became possible thanks to the efforts of numerous specialists of various profiles who worked long and persistently to make the operation’s finale so stunning and swift. It’s also clear that most of these efforts had to remain in the shadows until the final phase was executed.

Preparation Started in August

Preparation for the operation began back in August. A group of CIA operatives arrived in Caracas to assess the situation regarding the possibility of conducting a forceful operation against the country’s leadership. As it turned out, Maduro is captured and the regime was so rotten that recruiting sources in Maduro’s inner circle didn’t present particular problems. Eventually, they managed to engage one of Maduro’s personal bodyguards, who not only provided a complete breakdown of the former bus driver’s habits and lifestyle but was also capable of providing real-time information about Maduro’s location.

It quickly became clear that Maduro used a well-known tactic where a dictator moves between his hideouts, never staying in one place two nights in a row. Those who remember — this is exactly how Gaddafi’s security system worked, and several attempts to destroy him failed precisely for this reason. Maduro had 6-8 such fortified locations where he felt safe. The agent provided complete information about all these hideouts, and most importantly — explained why he considered these places safe.

Based on the obtained data, relevant specialists concluded which of these hideouts was actually the most vulnerable. Once they determined the location for the operation, its development began along with preparation of personnel involved in its execution. Using the experience of Israeli intelligence services, engineers built an exact replica of the building complex Maduro uses as a hideout at one of the secret bases in Kentucky.

Four Months of Nonstop Training

Then training began for Delta Force groups designated to conduct the final stage of the operation, and personnel of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, who for four months conducted continuous training, working through all elements of the future operation. By mid-December, all units reached operational readiness and conducted final training of the operation’s initial phase on site, starting with loading into helicopters and departing to the capture location itself. It was then that Maduro was made a final proposal — to leave Venezuela on his own.

As became known, they guaranteed him a safe corridor to Turkey, but he didn’t take this proposal seriously. He publicly promised to lead the nation into battle against the Americans. And then local TV showed footage where military personnel handed out automatic weapons to all comers. In reality, sources say the authorities staged these scenes and carried out no mass distribution of weapons.

Even after the military reported to Donnie about readiness to begin the operation, he hesitated for a long time, and it seems they really had to push him. Indeed, all these proposals for Maduro to leave peacefully, and in response — his dancing and threatening statements, already looked not just strange but shameful. Shooting up several boats and capturing a couple of tankers off Venezuela’s coast could no longer become a worthy finale for this epic. On December 25, they got the “go”. And then the military and specialists started working in combat operation mode, and practical implementation of what numerous people had worked on for nearly half a year began.

The Window Was Narrow

The subtlety of the entire plan was that the CIA knew for certain about all the places where Maduro stops for the night, and accordingly, the capture had to happen at night. But there was no schedule of movement between hideouts in principle. The security detail — and therefore the relevant agent — learned where Maduro would spend the night only in the evening. As a result, planners tied the operation’s start time directly to how fast this information moved through hidden communication channels.

Overall, the operation could have started back at the end of last year, but one visit to the target location was missed due to unfavorable weather. Eventually, conditions necessary for the start came together on Friday. Late in the evening, they reported to Donnie about full readiness to begin the operation. He gave the final go-ahead at 22:46 Eastern Time. Immediately, more than one and a half hundred strike aircraft rose into the sky from 20 airbases. Targets for engagement had been set in advance. At the same time, helicopters with special forces assault groups also moved to the operation’s location.

While aviation moved toward Venezuela’s coast, they conducted a powerful cyberattack on the power grid. Target areas lost power. Perhaps this also affected air defense control, since as a unified system it didn’t work. Missile strikes destroyed most of it — at least the radars went “under the knife”. Assault groups arrived at Maduro’s location at approximately 2 AM. His security opened fire on the helicopters. One of them took damage. As far as can be understood, small arms fire caused the damage, allowing the helicopter to return to base. Return fire broke the armed resistance.

Maduro Is Captured and Extracted

As far as can be understood, the attackers destroyed everything on the ground, including any transport that could have been used to escape the special forces landing zone. After that, events unfolded exactly as later described by the media. The unit captured Maduro, loaded him onto one of the helicopters, and evacuated him to the United States.

¹Orcs – a common term for Russians who support or participate in the armed aggression against Ukraine. Dehumanizing? Yes. Accurate? Also yes.

²Swamps – an ironic name for Russia, emphasizing decay, stagnation, and filth. The Commander of the USF, Robert Browdie, and most soldiers use this word.