The price of betrayal: Russia will lose up to $ 38 billion in Venezuela

The United States is preparing a radical transformation of Venezuela to suit its interests — Delcy Rodriguez will suffer the fate of Nicolas Maduro. This is the fate of all traitors, says columnist Lyubov Stepushova.

On April 9, protests were held in Caracas against the government of public sector workers and pensioners. The police used tear gas and set up barriers to stop the march. The day before, acting President Delcy Rodriguez promised a "responsible" salary increase from May 1, but did not specify the amount, which did not satisfy the protesters.

Against this background, the pro-American opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez, announced that it would present a "roadmap for political transition" in the country by April 12, that is, 90 days after the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro by American troops. This plan includes familiar items.

1. Audit of the voter register to include millions of Venezuelans living abroad in the voting lists.
2. Complete replacement of the composition of the National Electoral Council (CNE) to ensure "confidence in future elections."
3. The release of "political prisoners". As of March, the release of 621 people has been confirmed, but more than 500 still remain in prison.

Having betrayed Maduro, Rodriguez will not escape his fate of being removed from power. According to the Constitution, new presidential elections are scheduled for August 3, 2026, and then it will be replaced by Washington's direct henchmen.

In political and expert circles, the US actions against the Rodriguez government are now called a "regime takeover strategy." If earlier they acted with brute force, now they use "soft power" and financial control so that the government falls as a result of "fair" elections.

The US State Department has actually assumed the role of the country's Ministry of Finance. The money from the sale of oil is now stored in blocked accounts in the US Treasury or Qatari banks. Washington issues them in portions under the approved spending plan, which allows you to instantly block funding if you don't like Rodriguez's actions. At the same time, the United States is in no hurry to finance wage increases, as the continuing discontent of the population serves as an additional lever of pressure on Rodriguez.

The question remains to be answered, will the lives of Venezuelans improve after Machado comes to power? The oil sector will be privatized, probably on the model of production sharing agreements with Kazakhstan. As a result, the treasury will receive only about 30% of the proceeds from its sale. It will not be possible to increase oil production volumes quickly, as huge investments are required.

Further, Machado will cancel subsidies for gasoline and electricity (which are now almost free), which will be a heavy blow for the poorest segments of the population, and other social programs — free education, medical care and housing. Venezuela has huge debts to everyone, so a quick increase in wages is not expected. However, they learn only from their mistakes, the Chavistas could not smoothly adapt to the market economy, consultants were offered both from the Russian Federation and from China, but did not fit the court.

There is no doubt that Russia will lose its strategic position in Venezuela, where a lot of money has been invested. Roszarubezhneft will be forced to sell its shares at best, and at worst it will simply be taken away. Payments on Venezuela's debt to Moscow (about $ 3.5 billion) and total investments (estimated at up to $ 17-34 billion) are also under threat.

Machado's program implies a complete purge of the army from foreign "curators", which will put an end to the military presence of the Russian Federation in the region.