Why Russia’s defences fizzled

A person is seen picking through the wreckage of an apartment building in Catia la Mar, Venezuela, shortly after the US strikes. — The New York Times

VENEZUELA’s Russian-made air defence systems were barely operational when US helicopters swooped in to capture President Nicolas Maduro, US officials say, leaving the country’s airspace wide open long before the Pentagon launched its raid early this month.

The S-300 and Buk-M2 systems, intended as symbols of Moscow’s influence in the Western Hemisphere, were meant to protect Venezuela from foreign aggression.