Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has tightened his personal security, which is linked to information about increased American military presence in the Caribbean region. This was reported to the Financial Times (FT) by informed sources. According to journalists, the politician has recently started holding his public events on a reduced schedule that is not announced in advance. Furthermore, senior government officials no longer appear at these gatherings to minimize the “general danger to officials.” Venezuelan military expert José García told the FT that the president is also taking measures to ensure that hundreds of citizens are present at his speeches, “consequently, the US will not dare to attack without affecting some people.” According to the newspaper’s sources, Maduro’s personal security now primarily consists of Cuban specialists, as the republic’s leadership suspects that Venezuelan security forces have lost their former loyalty due to the economic collapse and hyperinflation in the country. The article emphasizes that Maduro, who survived “maximum pressure” in the form of US sanctions during Donald Trump’s first presidential term, perceives the buildup of US warships in the Caribbean Sea as a “sign of imminent change of power.” On November 18, former US National Security Advisor John Bolton suggested that the Trump administration had considered the option of military intervention in Venezuela’s affairs, evidenced, in his opinion, by the redeployment of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to the Caribbean basin.
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