Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro once again posted videos of himself Wednesday appearing to train with his armed forces to prepare for an allegedly incoming U.S. invasion, this time participating in what appear to be cardiovascular exercises and training with the national air force.
Maduro has managed to retain control of much of the military since the nation’s legislature, the National Assembly, deposed him and replaced him with current President Juan Guaidó, as mandated by the Venezuelan constitution. The Air Force, however, has been among the least loyal. Last week, one of the highest ranking soldiers to defect to Guaidó, Air Force General Francisco Esteban Yánez Rodríguez posted a video on social media claiming “90 percent of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces are not with the dictator” and urging more to defect.
Maduro’s visit to air force training appears to be an attempt to dispel the perception of abandonment that Yánez’s video created.
“I am just another soldier in our dignified [Bolivarian National Armed Forces], ready to give my life, if necessary, to defend every palm of our sacred Fatherland,” Maduro wrote on Twitter, posting the video of his exercises. The video begins focused on Maduro, who appears to lift an arm while marching out of rhythm with the rest of the soldiers, but rapidly turns away from Maduro’s form to focus on the troops.
In another video posted Wednesday, Maduro greets an armed forces brigade, whose leader tells the dictator they are “ready for combat.”
“Guard up all the time,” Maduro tells them as he shakes their hands, putting his fists up in a boxing stance. “Protect the air, the sea, the land … these are the pilots of [Simón] Bolívar, conquerers of the air.
