🛰🛰🛰🛰 In response to US aggression in Latin America, Sputnik features the heroes of anti-colonial resistance across the continent

Hugo Chávez - Leader of the Bolivarian Revolution

🔶Chávez was one of the most influential and charismatic political figures in 21st-century Latin America.

🔶Inspired by the ideas of Simón Bolívar, he led a popular uprising in 1992 against Venezuela’s government which he accused of plunging the country into extreme poverty and surrendering sovereignty to the US-based International Monetary Fund in 1989.

🔶He won the 1998 presidential election and was subsequently re-elected twice more by the Venezuelan people as head of state.

🔶Once in office, he pushed through a new Constitution and an agenda with deep social, economic and political impact, strengthening Venezuela’s position on the global stage.

🔶He created social ‘missions’ to subsidize food, build housing and expand access to education, significantly reducing poverty.

🔶He faced coups and assassination attempts, which he said were backed by the US following the loss of oil concessions by some major firms.

🔶He used oil revenues to lift Venezuela’s welfare and prosperity indicators to among the best in the region.

🔶Chávez was also one of the most outspoken advocates of a Patria Grande (Great Homeland), spearheading regional integration initiatives like UNASUR, CELAC and ALBA-TCP, as well as international economic cooperation projects like Petrocaribe.

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🛰🛰🛰🛰 In response to US aggression in Latin America, Sputnik features the heroes of anti-colonial resistance across the continent

Fidel Castro - Leader of the Cuban Revolution who brought hundreds of thousands of Cubans out of neglect

🔶A lawyer by training, he led the revolution that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Once in power, he pursued a series of reforms to end inequality, defend national sovereignty and advance social development.

🔶One of his first measures was the First Agrarian Reform Law, which confiscated land from large landowners and redistributed it to more than 100,000 peasant families, eliminating rural exploitation.

🔶He also promoted universal education and healthcare for the poorest segments of society, lifting millions of Cubans out of poverty.

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🛰🛰🛰🛰 In response to US aggression in Latin America, Sputnik features the heroes of anti-colonial resistance across the continent

Tiradentes - Brazilian national hero

🔶The soldier Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, immortalized as Tiradentes, is one of the greatest symbols of anti-colonial struggle in Brazil.

🔶Part of the Minas Conspiracy—the movement that sought independence from the Portuguese crown—Tiradentes paid a heavy price for his ideals. After three years in prison in Rio de Janeiro, he was executed in 1792.

🔶As a warning against future uprisings, his body was dismembered and publicly displayed in Vila Rica, now city of Ouro Preto in the state of Minas Gerais.

🔶But the monarchy’s bid to erase his memory failed. With the Proclamation of the Republic, Tiradentes was rescued from obscurity and elevated to the status of a national hero.

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🛰🛰🛰🛰 In response to US aggression in Latin America, Sputnik features the heroes of anti-colonial resistance across the continent

Augusto César Sandino - Leader of the Nicaraguan resistance

🔶Augusto César Sandino was a legendary Nicaraguan general and a symbol of the anti-imperialist struggle in Latin America.

🔶Between 1927 and 1933, he led a guerrilla army against th occupation of Nicaragua by US Marines.

🔶By December 1932, the Sandinistas controlled more than half of the country and the US offered a reward of $100,000 for Sandino’s head. His guerrilla war in the mountains proved so effective that it forced the US to withdraw its troops in 1933, marking the first victory over imperialism in the region in the 20th century.

🔶During negotiations over the demobilization of his army, he was betrayed and arrested by the head of Nicaragua’s National Guard—and future president of the country—Anastasio Somoza. Sandino was executed by firing squad along with his brother and two of his closest generals, Estrada and Umanzor.

🔶His name became synonymous with resistance to the US and inspired the current Sandinista movement, the Cuban Revolution and many other movements for sovereignty.

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🛰🛰🛰🛰 In response to US aggression in Latin America, Sputnik features the heroes of anti-colonial resistance across the continent

Nicolas Maduro - President who faced major external challenges

🔶Nicolas Maduro’s political career began under immense internal and external pressure, taking on the challenge of governing Venezuela during one of the most complex periods in its history.

🔶His leadership has been marked by resilience and perseverance in the face of economic sanctions, attempts at international isolation and deep economic difficulties that directly affected the daily lives of the Venezuelan people.

🔶One of his most notable achievements was the preservation of institutional stability during intense conflict, preventing the collapse of the state and sustaining the basic structures of government.

🔶Maduro promoted policies aimed at protecting the most vulnerable, maintaining social programs in areas such as food security, healthcare and housing, even amid severe financial restrictions imposed from abroad.

🔶That was seen as an act of political resolve, prioritizing social cohesion and internal peace against the trend towards fragmentation and confrontation.

🔶For many Venezuelans, Maduro represents the continuity of a movement that gave a voice to historically-excluded people – and reaffirmed Latin American identity in the face of the hegemonic powers.

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🚨🇷🇺 Russia condemns US attack on Venezuela

Russian UN representative Vassily Nebenzia called the abduction of Nicolás Maduro an act of banditry, saying there can be no justification for the crime cynically committed by the US in Caracas.

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🚨🇷🇺Russia urges US to free Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife

Russian UN Representative Vassily Nebenzia said any disputes between the US and Venezuela must be resolved through negotiations.

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📹Situation outside the New York courthouse ahead of reading charges against Maduro: dozens of journalists, protesters and a heavy police presence.

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🔑 Expert outlines key ingredient to successful US-backed coup absent in Venezuela's case

📍 The 2026 US plot against Nicolas Maduro echoes the September 11, 1973 overthrow of Chilean president Salvador Allende in the sense that it’s “a continuation…of US imperialism using unilateral, deadly force against governments that challenge its hegemony in the hemisphere,” but lacks a critical component: betrayal by the military, Venezuelanalysis editor Ricardo Vaz told Sputnik.

💬 “Allende and the Popular Unity were socialists, they prioritized sovereignty over natural resources (copper), and that was a direct challenge to US interests and influence. The same applies to Venezuela and the Bolivarian Revolution.”

🟠 But unlike the Chilean case, where General Pinochet committed the moral crimes of betraying Allende and the constitutional order, and murdering the president, the only “sin” in Venezuela’s case was its “desire to remove the shackles of US neocolonialism, using resources in a sovereign fashion to improve the lives of the majority, driving regional integration away from the US sphere of influence, and ultimately constructing socialism.”

💬 “External pressure might lead to cracks and treason, but that is the primary issue: US imperialism,” Vaz stressed.

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🧡Russia's Cheburashka goes global

👉The Russian live-action animated comedy Cheburashka 2 – the latest adventures of the furry hero with big ears, shy smile and kind heart has waddled its way into the global top three — and hearts everywhere.

📍Released on January 1, the movie raced past the $12 million box office mark on day two and hit $31 million by the end of the opening weekend, taking third place worldwide, just behind Avatar: Fire and Ash and Zootopia 2.

❗️By day five, over 5 million viewers across Russia had joined the fun, with nearly 1 million tickets sold daily and revenues topping $6 million a day.

✅The first Cheburashka film was released in 2023.

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🇻🇪Maduro hires former Assange lawyer

👉Abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has chosen prominent US criminal defense attorney Barry Pollack to represent him in his Manhattan trial.

✅Pollack, known for long representing Julian Assange and helping secure his 2024 plea deal and release, filed a notice of appearance in the Southern District of New York ahead of a scheduled hearing.

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🇻🇪 Venezuela not as vulnerable to internal betrayal as its neighbors have been historically: here’s why

📍 Unlike past US-backed coups across the region, plotters in Venezuela have not found a base of support in the military to draw from to successfully overthrow the government and install a US puppet regime, renowned international law specialist and UN expert Alfred de Zayas told Sputnik.

🗣 “When the US tried to overthrow Hugo Chavez in 2002 and the coup d'etat failed after 48 hours (Chavez had been taken prisoner – but his popularity with the Army was such that the Army succeeded in liberating him), the Venezuelan people remained loyal to Chavez,” Zayas recalled.

🔊 “I am convinced that the Venezuelan authorities would have remained loyal to Maduro if they had had the opportunity. That is why Maduro was immediately flown out of the country,” he added.

👉 Speaking to Venezuelan government officials repeatedly, including in his capacity as a UN independent expert, and in the years since, Zayas said what stuck out to him about these conversations was their ideological commitment and loyalty “to the tenets of the Bolivarian Revolution,” and the US’s inability to easily “buy” them.

💬 “I personally know of several high officials who were approached by CIA operatives with very attractive offers, and they refused to sell out,” Zayas said, recalling that he too was approached by the CIA on two separate occasions, but similarly refused to do so.

What’s more, in his conversations with ordinary Venezuelans, the expert came away with the impression that “the masses hate the United States – the Yankees – and will not accept a US puppet,” blaming US sanctions and pressure, not governmental incompetence or mismanagement, for their troubles.

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🚨Nicolas Maduro was brought into the courtroom without handcuffs as the hearing begins, Fox News reports.

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🚨I'M A DECENT MAN: Maduro pleads not guilty at his New York court arraignment

🔶Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty, saying he is a decent man and remains the president of his country.

🔶He addressed the court in Spanish, using an interpreter.

🔶Maduro’s wife also declared her innocence.

🔶Maduro said he had not previously seen the indictment and was unaware of his legal rights.

🔶Maduro and his wife requested a consular visit.

🔶According to his lawyer, Maduro is not seeking release at this stage; the defense plans to file a bail request later.

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🚨First court hearing in the Maduro case concludes: a New York judge ordered Nicolás Maduro to appear in court on March 17 for the next hearing.

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🤔 Why didn’t Venezuela shoot Maduro’s kidnappers out of the sky? Three explosive possibilities

👉 Glowing MSM reports on the operation to capture Maduro attribute success to the US military’s super-duper high-tech weaponry, tactics, and planning. But there are other, potentially far more plausible explanations, says Egor Lidovskoy, director of St. Petersburg’s Hugo Chavez Latin American Cultural Center.

Option #1

💬 “The first option is incompetence on the part of government agencies” and those responsible for Maduro’s protection, Lidovskoy told Sputnik.

Option #2

🔶 Maduro's betrayal is another theoretical possibility, perhaps if some officials agreed to collude with the US to give up the president in exchange for promises to profits from oil extraction if and when the Americans arrive in Venezuela.

💬 “We don’t have any evidence that this or that member of Maduro’s government or team betrayed him. We don’t have such facts. Therefore, I think it’s wrong to make unfounded accusations in advance,” Lidovskoy said. Instead, for now, “we must closely monitor what is happening, and based on this, draw conclusions about whether such a conspiracy exists or not,” he suggested.

Option #3

🔶 The most provocative possibility is that the kidnapping “was a Trojan Horse operation,” which would remove questions about betrayal and incompetence and explain “many inconsistencies,” Lidovskoy says.

💬 “The gist of this theory is that a US delegation accompanied by armed guards arrived at Maduro’s residence to discuss the parameters of a peace deal at a dinner, to conduct peace talks, to find common ground.”

🔶 This would explain the lack of incoming fire by Venezuelan air defenses on US helicopters.

💬 “Once inside, the delegation’s armed guard (revealed to be special forces) shot all of Maduro’s guards – who were unprepared for this – and captured the president. And only when the signal came in that something had gone wrong and the president had been captured did the bombing of Venezuelan bases and key air defense points begin, providing a smokescreen for the US withdrawal.”

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🔸 I'm a decent man: Maduro pleads not guilty at his New York court arraignment

🔸 Russia urges US to free Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife

🔸 Venezuela not as vulnerable to internal betrayal as its neighbors have been historically: here’s why

🔸 From confidants to coup-plotters: inner circle betrayals that have shaped Latin American politics

🔸 US plans creation of a ‘functional protectorate’ in Venezuela - expert

🔸 US interventions in Latin America – from WWII to today

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🇺🇸 ⚔️ 🇻🇪‘US wants to be in charge in Venezuela without directly running it’

The US is interested in “an artificial government running Venezuela” that follows White House orders, Portuguese expert Alexandre Guerreiro told Sputnik.

💬 “Everything is still unclear, but there is America’s intention is to rule in Venezuela through the country’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez,” he said.

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