Don’t miss this urgent and compelling episode of the Cuba Analysis Podcast, hosted by Helen Yaffe and Nina Blodau, with Ana Maldonado, a Venezuelan sociologist and the International Relations coordinator for the Francisco de Miranda Front, a Chavista movement, and member of the Venezuelan chapter of ALBA Movements. Maldonado left a huge march in Caracas to update us about events in Venezuela: the military assault by 150 US aircraft, including fighter jets, helicopters and bombers, that hit targets throughout Caracas and in three other States, abduction of the President, Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores; the killings of dozens of military personnel and civilians and how the Bolivarian system of national defence kicked into action in response.

Maldonado describes the experience of the nighttime bombings on the 2 to 3 January and the widespread destruction to antennas, military facilities, ports and airports, as well as the popular mobilisation in response. On 4 January, Venezuelans took to the streets en masse to protest the attack and demand Maduro is returned. She points to the emotional resilience of Venezuelans who refuse to accept foreign intervention.

The conversation dismantles the US phoney narrative which casts Maduro as a narcotrafficker and Venezuela as a narco-state and foreign terrorist regime. Ana responds directly to the Trump’s lies in his 3 January press conference, affirming that US forces do not have a presence on the ground, that acting President Delcy Rodriguez and the Venezuelan government are not collaborating with the Trump administration, and that the US does not have control over Venezuela’s oil industry. She explains how Rodríguez is leading the constitutional and popular response in Maduro’s abduction, guided by pre-established plans for national defence. Maldonado highlights the role of the Bolivarian militias, in which eight million civilians voluntarily enrolled in 2025, and affirms the preparedness of communities for a prolonged, Vietnam-style resistance if necessary to defend Venezuelan sovereignty.

The interview underscores the solidarity between Venezuela and Cuba, warns of expanding US aggression across Latin America, and issues a powerful call for international solidarity to condemn the attack, demand the release of Maduro and Flores, and defend Venezuelan sovereignty.

This is a vital, firsthand account from inside the Bolivarian Revolution during a critical hour.