Russian network pushes anti‑U.S. arms message after Venezuela raid

In the days after the U.S. raid in Venezuela, a network of Russian propaganda websites known as “Portal Kombat” has been promoting messages that countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia should stop buying American military hardware, and that the U.S. seizure of Nicolás Maduro shows the United States is unreliable and dangerous, according to a company that tracks influence operations.

An analysis by Alethea found that articles published by Sputnik were quickly amplified and promoted by a larger network of websites used by Russian security services to attack the West. The coverage pressed the idea that the U.S. operation demonstrated the effectiveness of American weaponry and the weakness of Russian defenses; Alethea noted U.S.

F‑35 aircraft were used to take out Russian‑made air defense batteries. Lisa Kaplan, Alethea’s chief executive, said Russia invented the concept of information campaigns and had trained to use them effectively to muddy facts, calling it “an example of how if you can’t beat America on the battlefield, beat them in the information space.” FilterLabs, another monitoring firm, tracked increased Russian activity on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, with accounts that have pushed Moscow’s narratives criticizing the operation and echoing Russian diplomats, who — along with media aligned with Venezuela’s government — called the seizure a kidnapping and described the U.S.

action as military aggression and banditry.

Key Topics

World, Portal Kombat, Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, Sputnik, Alethea