Venezuela Got Russia’s Pantsir-S1 System – But Who’s Operating Them?

Russia delivered Pantsir-S1 air-defense missile and gun systems to Venezuela – weapons that had not previously been part of the Venezuelan army’s arsenal.

Russian State Duma deputy Alexei Zhuravlyov announced this in an interview with the pro-Kremlin outlet Gazeta.Ru.

He acknowledged that Moscow continues to supply arms to Caracas amid rising tensions between Venezuela and the United States.

According to Zhuravlyov, Russia is Venezuela’s key military-technical partner, supplying “a full range of weaponry – from small arms to combat aircraft.”

The official noted that the scope and details of these deliveries are classified, hinting that “the Americans might be in for some surprises.”

Zhuravlyov also confirmed the transfer of several battalions of S-300VM (Antey-2500) surface-to-air missile systems, as well as Buk-M2E and Pantsir-S1 systems, to Caracas.

However, the exact delivery dates have not been disclosed, nor has the number of combat vehicles transferred.

The S-300VM and Buk-M2E systems were already in service with the Venezuelan army, whereas the country has received the Pantsir-S1 for the first time.

Bringing these systems into operational service requires extensive personnel training, which usually takes longer than the current phase of confrontation between Caracas and Washington.

The new systems may likely be operated by Russian specialists or mercenaries, including members of the Wagner PMC, whose presence in Venezuela was noted as early as last year.

In addition, there were recent reports of a Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft arriving in Caracas, which is on the sanctions list.

This aircraft has been used to transport weapons, military supplies, and Wagner mercenaries, who have operated in various regions of the world on behalf of Russia.