Kathrine Frich
As Moscow pours resources into its war in Ukraine, cracks are appearing across Russia’s wider network of strategic partners.
From Latin America to the Middle East, governments once confident in Kremlin backing are reassessing how reliable that support really is.
Recent events have intensified doubts about Russia’s ability or willingness to act when allies face serious threats.
Growing frustration abroad
Over the past 13 months, several authoritarian regimes closely aligned with Moscow have concluded they cannot count on Russia in moments of crisis, Digi24 reported.
In Caracas, officials now view Venezuela’s security partnership with Russia and Cuba as a “paper tiger,” believing it offered little real protection when it mattered most.
Similar disillusionment has surfaced elsewhere, from Syria to Cuba and Iran, as leaders face mounting pressure without decisive Russian backing.
Caracas feels exposed
According to Bloomberg, Venezuelan officials have privately expressed anger over what they see as failures by both Russian and Cuban intelligence services.
Those services did not identify vulnerabilities in Nicolás Maduro’s regime or warn of the threat posed by the United States before his capture and transfer to New York, Bloomberg reported.
Much of Maduro’s security detail had been composed of Cuban intelligence officers, a reliance that drew renewed scrutiny after Havana announced the deaths of 32 Cuban agents during the U.S. operation.
Failing defences
Venezuelan officials have also criticised the performance of Russian-supplied air defence systems, including the S-300 and Buk-M2, which they say failed to protect the country’s airspace.
They complained that Russia did not provide sufficient technical support to keep the systems operational, Bloomberg sources said.
Cybersecurity assistance from Moscow was also described as ineffective, with U.S. cyberattacks reportedly cutting electricity across large parts of Caracas.
Shifting loyalties
As a result, trust in the security partnership between Venezuela, Cuba and Russia has been badly damaged, according to Bloomberg.
Maduro’s successor, Delcy Rodríguez, is now left with little choice but to accept cooperation offered by the United States and move away from former allies.
The image of Maduro in a New York prison has become a potent symbol of Russia’s limited response.
Limits of influence
For Moscow, the situation in Venezuela is uncomfortable but not disastrous. A person close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg that relations with the United States matter more to Russia than ties with Caracas.
Iran presents a more serious challenge, given the depth of military cooperation, but Russia is still unlikely to intervene decisively as it remains focused on Ukraine.
With several partnerships under strain, Moscow appears determined to pursue its goals in Ukraine without compromise, a stance that could complicate efforts by Donald Trump to broker a peace deal.
Sources: Digi24, Bloomberg
