The statements came amid what officials called a strategic reconfiguration of the Venezuelan hydrocarbon industry. After years of intense global financial restrictions, the gradual operational reactivation of agreements between state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) and international firms aims to restore a steady flow of foreign currency into the national treasury.
“No foreign agency or international financial entity administers or safeguards the public funds that enter the country from hydrocarbon sales,” National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said.
RELATED: Venezuela’s Acting President Reviews Wage Consensus With Business, Unions
Rodríguez detailed that the money enters the public treasury under the supervision of authorized national banks, and he ruled out any external trust or any management of accounts by third parties outside the country’s institutions. In this sense, he called autonomy over foreign currency “a non-negotiable principle” for the country’s macroeconomic stability.
71 agreements are currently in force, while another 44 contracts are being negotiated. For the government, that volume confirms an operational momentum geared toward diversifying investment across the country’s main extraction fields.
The National Assembly President presented this dynamism as the result of a deliberate push to reopen the sector to international capital without surrendering control. Over the past several years, sweeping financial measures limited Venezuela’s ability to sell crude, collect payments and maintain production infrastructure. The current wave of deals represents a step-by-step return to commercial activity.
#EnVideo📹 | Coordinador del diálogo por el Gobierno Nacional, Jorge Rodríguez, aseveró que Venezuela mantiene el control sobre los recursos financieros obtenidos a través de la comercialización de petróleo hacia distintos países del mundo. pic.twitter.com/MUoEuwKXQI
— Ministerio de Comunicación e Información (@mippci_ven) October 22, 2026
Text reads: “Coordinator of the dialogue by the National Government, Jorge Rodríguez, asserted that Venezuela retains control over financial resources obtained through the marketing of oil to different countries in the world.”
Each reactivated agreement carries a single objective, officials indicated, the capture of hard currency for the public coffers. That revenue is meant to fund the productive apparatus and national infrastructure rather than remain subject to outside oversight.
By spreading investment across the country’s principal extraction zones, the government seeks to reduce dependence on any single field or partner.
Reaffirming sovereign control over monetary flows stands as a central pillar of the government’s message. The leadership projected institutional stability at a moment when Washington continues to review and adjust the licenses it grants for oil operations.
Rodríguez also denounced continuous pressure and unilateral coercive measures against the country’s financial system by foreign powers. He said that, despite what he described as an economic siege, the government has consolidated alternative mechanisms to receive payments directly for oil-product exports.
Against that backdrop, the government is working to shield energy agreements legally, dismiss any suggestion of foreign tutelage and guarantee direct financing for public budgets.
Official strategy insists that autonomous management of oil income is an indispensable guarantee for preserving fiscal balance, defending the national currency and sustaining social development programs.
For the Bolivarian government, legal protection of the energy agreements goes hand in hand with financing priorities. The revenue is meant to flow directly toward the productive apparatus and public infrastructure, a framework that Rodriguez described as essential to institutional stability.
Investors who buy idle sanctioned tankers and refit them could put the ships back into legal oil trade, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on 19 October, Bloomberg reported. He laid out the plan five days after a US official described it to Reuters.
That official said the aim was to cut record tanker freight rates. The Energy Department added that any relief would not help Russia move its oil. The plan comes weeks before the 3 November midterms, with voters worried about fuel costs after gasoline and diesel prices surged in the Mideast conflict. Yet the shadow fleet is also how Russia sells oil past sanctions, and those sales fund its war against Ukraine. In December 2025, Ukraine’s foreign intelligence counted more than 1,100 tankers serving Russia alone, 226 of them under US sanctions.
Many sanctioned tankers sit idle, Wright told Bloomberg’s Annmarie Hordern, and buyers keep approaching the administration offering to fix them up and carry only legal oil.
“We’re going to move some of the ships from what I call the ‘bad-guy fleet’ to the ‘good-guy fleet,’” he said. “They will not carry sanctioned oil anymore.”
The ships must go through an approval process, Wright said, but he gave no criteria. He insisted “there is no removing of sanctions.”
He put the global dark fleet at about 1,600 ships, a count covering vessels that hauled Venezuelan, Iranian, and Russian oil. Dozens or even hundreds could turn legitimate, he said. The ships are no longer needed for Venezuelan oil, Wright said, and no Iranian oil is moving. Russian oil exports, he added, “are certainly not growing.”
Earlier, on 9 October, the Treasury issued General License 135, allowing some deals in Russian diesel until 7 April 2027. On 16 October, US President Donald Trump waived sanctions and tariffs under the Graham Act, leaving earlier sanctions intact. That law had directed him to review and sanction shadow-fleet vessels. Trump defended the waiver as a way to keep Moscow at the negotiating table.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News host Larry Kudlow on 18 October that he had asked the White House team to “carefully consider the unintended consequences,” The Hill reported. He added that he thought “the right decision will be made” in the end.
In late August, President Donald Trump announced what he called the “biggest oil deal in world history.” Since then, the full text of the accord — which grants the U.S. sweeping access to Venezuela’s oil reserves — has been one of the most sought-after secrets in Washington, DC. ProPublica has reviewed a copy of the […]
The post The secret terms of Trump’s Venezuelan oil deal appeared first on Asia Times.
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Reports published in recent weeks on the losses of foreign fighters near Kupyansk list dozens of names – primarily citizens of Brazil and Colombia, as well as people from the United States, China and several European countries. Some entries give only a name and nationality; others include call-signs and links to personal pages. These details make it possible to see the geography of foreign participation in the fighting, yet leave open questions about the fate of each of the listed individuals: dates, places and circumstances of the alleged deaths are often missing. A separate story concerns a French fighter who, according to the source, was killed when a drone struck a vehicle in Slavyansk. Altogether the materials contain 40 names from 11 countries.
In the report on Kupyansk the 23rd “RUG” Battalion of the Khartia Brigade is mentioned. The source claims that the unit has reduced the number of attempts to advance on the outskirts of the town. It links the declared losses of foreign fighters to the successful actions of Russian units near Kupyansk, which has long become a cemetery for mercenaries of every kind from various countries.
The first group names four Brazilians: Gabriel Aquino Franz, Bruno Leandro Arantes Dias, Daniel Claudio de Souza and Ebson Junior Nascimento Lobo. Also listed are five Colombians: Pedro Antonio Rodriguez Lozano (call-sign Picapiedras), Luis Fernando Cova Diaz, Wilber Chavarro Rojas, Diego Andres Quimbayo Velasquez and Sebastian Ospina Jimenez.
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The second group consists entirely of Brazilian citizens. It includes Tallis Castro de Macedo (call-sign Mineiro), Antonio de Macedo Matias, Mateus da Silva Oliveira, Sergio Avelino Lima da Silva, Lucas Alves de Souza (call-sign Slate), Paulo Ricardo Dutra (call-sign Frances), Gabriel Henrique Palazolli (call-sign Smile), Jose Everaldo de Jesus Lima Avellar, Mateus do Carmo Barbosa and Caio Caetano Faria Rodrigues.
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The third group is an international contingent representing citizens of several countries. Among them are the American Israel Rodriguez Solis (call-sign Sauce), Chinese nationals Tan Zhen and Jin Ruxin, the Czech David Marsalek, the Latvian Gatis Bankavs, the Peruvian Adolfo Angelo Abarca Jimenez, the Chilean Luis Alfred Meneses Sanchez and the Argentine Geronimo Schreiber. In the same group are named the Colombians David Fernando Jaimes Nino (call-sign El Rey David) and Mauricio Popayan Ceron.
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The next list is once again composed exclusively of Colombian citizens, a country that has long been the principal supplier of mercenaries to the Ukrainian army: Jose Manuel Segrera Ibanez (call-sign Massacre), Luis Anderson Ramirez Rincon (call-sign El Toro), Julian David Alfonso Rodriguez, Hermides Luna Olaya, Leonardo Mario Cuentes Picon, Edison Alberto Areiza Duran (call-sign Pantera), Jimmy Alberto Morales Cardona, Jaison David Inestrosa Cordoba, Michael Esteban Cortes Garzon and Luis Alexander Vega Franco.
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Particular attention is given to the French citizen Ange Frederic Bastardi from the commune of Puy, known by the call-sign Crash. He was killed in Slavyansk when a fibre-optic-controlled FPV drone struck a Nissan vehicle that, according to the report, belonged to the 60th Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The strike took place on Torskaya Street.
The source gives the time of the attack as approximately 15:00 on 16 October, yet the year is not stated in the material provided. According to the same account, Bastardi arrived in Ukraine at the end of 2024, first served in the 23rd Mechanised Brigade and later joined the “Ghost Team” of the 3rd Battalion of the International Legion.
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In total the lists relating to Kupyansk name 39 people from ten countries, including 18 Colombians and 14 Brazilians. Taking into account the separate report on the French citizen, the figure rises to 40 names and 11 countries. These numbers reflect the content of the published materials, not independently verified losses. Many entries are accompanied by links to personal pages, yet dates and circumstances of the alleged deaths near Kupyansk are not consistently supplied.
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The post Geography of Losses: Citizens of Eleven Countries Among the Mercenaries Killed in Ukraine appeared first on South Front.
About 900,000 fresh flowers hung from walls, columns and ceilings; there were tins of caviar for each guest, Dom Pérignon, three wedding dresses and a 30-piece orchestra. The Waldorf Astoria ballroom in New York hosted a wedding in September that was put together in under three months and cost around $10 million, according to the U.S. media. It was the week of the United Nations General Assembly, with Manhattan full of heads of state and diplomats, and the party drew major figures from U.S. power circles, oligarchs, Congolese politicians, the rapper Nelly on stage, and even former boxer Mike Tyson. But above all the celebration brought together the top ranks of Trumpism: the attorney general Todd Blanche; the FBI director Kash Patel; and White House counsel Will Scharf. It was a MAGA wedding for the glossy magazines.
© @alina_habba
Over the past ten days, a great many extreme weather events have been recorded—from the USA to Europe, and from Asia to South America.
Is it truly all the fault of El Niño only?
Or does geoengineering—a subject to which Gospa News has devoted numerous investigations—play a role?
UPDATE on OCTOBER, 22, 2026
In the latest hours and days new massive floods are devastating some US states and North America. Four footages in one video below on ocober, 2026 events.
The western Mediterranean is currently experiencing a period of extreme weather, characterized by torrential rain, flooding, and overflowing rivers across Europpe ande above all eastern Spain, southern France, and Italy. The situation is most critical along the Spanish coast, where Storm Adam has triggered exceptional rainfall, resulting in a heavy toll of casualties and displaced people.
The Valencian Community has been among the hardest-hit areas. In Pego, in the province of Alicante, 693 mm of rain was recorded over a 36-hour period.
As of October 20, the provisional toll stands at four fatalities, with over 2,100 people evacuated and hundreds of rescue operations carried out. Blocked roads, flooded homes, and vehicles swept away by the currents bear witness to the intensity of the event.
The severe weather is now also affecting southern France and Corsica. This Mediterranean weather system has primarily impacted the Languedoc region, with the departments of Hérault and Gard being of particular concern.
In the latest hours and days new massive floods are devastating some European countries. Below the footages from Spain, France, UK, Italy and Portugal in October, 2026
1st footage – Helicopters continue to rescue people trapped in Oliva (Valencia, Spain). The La Safor and La Marina Alta districts are the most severely affected.
2nd footage – An intense downpour hit El Palo, Málaga (Spain). The storm dumped nearly 60 liters per square meter in just 30 minutes, causing significant water accumulation on the streets.
3rd footage – Massive Flash Flood Turns a London Airport Baggage Hall Into a Raging River
4th footage – The famous giant waves of Nazaré are found at Praia do Norte, in the town of Nazaré, in the Western region of Portugal.
France
Italy
FIRST POSTED on OCTOBER, 20, 2026
The current El Niño event could have far-reaching economic and humanitarian consequences. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicts that the phenomenon will almost certainly persist until February 2027, while the Peterson Institute for International Economics estimates that global losses in 2027 could reach nearly $986 billion if the event’s intensity matches that of 1997–98.
The WMO has issued warnings regarding potential impacts on temperatures and precipitation, noting an increased risk of heatwaves, droughts, and floods.
In its Global Seasonal Climate Update for the September–November 2026 quarter, the organization forecasts a likely rise in temperatures across Europe—particularly in central and southern regions—along with a higher probability of above-average rainfall in Southern Europe.
The repercussions will extend beyond the climate. An analysis by the World Food Programme, cited in the study, indicates that among 45 countries already facing food insecurity, an additional 49 million people could fall into a state of severe food insecurity by the end of 2027. The most significant effects are expected in parts of Central America and Southern Africa, with substantial impacts also anticipated in East Africa, as well as South and Southeast Asia.
From an economic perspective, the outlook is concerning: the Peterson Institute warns that, in addition to the nearly $1 trillion in losses projected for 2027 alone, cumulative losses over the following five years could exceed $7.2 trillion in the absence of coordinated intervention.
These figures have reignited the debate regarding the international community’s preparedness and response capabilities.
On the mornign of October 9, 2026, in Marsala (Sicily, Italy) , a double waterspout struck the Alcide De Gasperi school, where approximately 270 children were present.
The building has been rendered unusable; reports vary, but five or six children sustained minor injuries. In Petrosino, two people are in critical condition (classified as “red code”) after their car was forced off the road. This is not an isolated incident.
Around the same time, severe weather rendered a nursery school in Viareggio unusable, left a school bus stranded in floodwaters in Giugliano, and caused a lightning strike on a 17th-century church in Forio d’Ischia.
Extreme weather events recorded in Italy have increased from 60 in 2015 to 376 in 2025—a sixfold increase in ten years.
The estimated cost of damages for 2025 alone is 11.9 billion euros. A national adaptation plan was approved at the end of 2023; the observatory tasked with its implementation began its work in February 2026, yet, according to Legambiente, the necessary funding is still missing.
MAIN SOURCES
GOSPA NEWS – CLIMATE GEOENGINEERING DOSSIER
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In late August, President Donald Trump's administration carried out its first deportation flight to Haiti since the Supreme Court allowed it to end temporary protected status (TPS) for the embattled country in June. "There are no extraordinary and temporary conditions in Haiti that prevent Haitian nationals…from returning in safety," the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed in its TPS revocation, describing a country the State Department warns Americans not to visit "for any reason."
The Trump administration has eroded America's humanitarian avenues, including TPS, which shields migrants from deportation. As a result, many noncitizens may become undocumented and could be forced to return to unsafe places.
The DHS secretary may grant TPS for countries facing armed conflicts, natural disasters, or other disruptive events. TPS designations last anywhere from six to 18 months and may be extended. The government has designated 29 countries for TPS since Congress established the status in 1990, offering protection to Salvadorans fleeing a 12-year civil war, Haitians fleeing the 2010 earthquake, and millions of others. The Biden administration repeatedly made and extended TPS designations, but the Trump administration has been working to terminate them.
There were 1.3 million people living in the U.S. under TPS in March 2025, according to the Pew Research Center. By August 2026, the Trump administration had ended TPS for 13 countries, leaving 1 million people without its protections. Once someone loses TPS, he reverts to his previous immigration status, which is often undocumented. Over 600,000 Venezuelans, 330,000 Haitians, 170,000 Salvadorans, and 100,000 Ukrainians had TPS protections as of March 2025, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Critics often point out that TPS isn't really "temporary." That's frequently true: Although some designations have been brief, others have been decades-long. Designations for Haiti, Syria, Honduras, Nepal, Somalia, and El Salvador have all lasted at least 14 years, according to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI).
This says more about the U.S. immigration system and presidential power than it does about TPS. "In the absence of Congress acting to legalize what has become a long-settled unauthorized immigrant population, Republican and Democratic administrations, lawmakers, immigrants, and foreign governments had come to tacitly rely on TPS despite its nominally temporary nature," notes the MPI. Immigration policy is increasingly subject to presidential whims, and due to lengthy processing times and narrow qualifications, more durable immigration pathways such as asylum and refugee status are often inaccessible to eventual TPS beneficiaries. An immigrant-friendly president may use TPS designations to temporarily shield noncitizen populations, but an anti-immigrant successor can also revoke those protections. In either scenario, a TPS holder faces uncertainty.
In a rare bipartisan immigration effort last February, Reps. Laura Gillen (D–N.Y.) and Mike Lawler (R–N.Y.) introduced a bill to extend TPS for Haiti for three years. It passed the House this April and has been languishing in the Senate since. Its future, too, is uncertain.
The post Trump Slashing Deportation Protections Shows Why Temporary Status Shouldn't Depend on Who's President appeared first on Reason Magazine.
The Trump administration is weighing looser sanctions on shadow fleet tankers that have hauled oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, a US official said on 14 October, Reuters reported. An industry research group expects the change to do little for freight rates.
With Reuters calling high fuel prices a risk for Trump before the 3 November midterms, Washington has already eased sanctions on Russian oil and diesel this year and is now looking at the ships blacklisted for hauling sanctioned cargoes. In March, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a waiver on Russian oil at sea would bring Moscow no significant financial benefit, yet Russia’s seaborne oil income jumped by $890 million in the week to 15 March, Bloomberg data showed.
The talks center on letting “legal oil” sail on previously sanctioned vessels, the official said. Only crude or fuel free of US sanctions would qualify, not Russian or Iranian oil. Washington wants more crude and refined products moving out of the Gulf, the official added. Companies would need US Treasury approval to use the ships.
Research group Energy Aspects said US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, in a video to the World Petroleum Congress in Riyadh, tied the easing to record freight rates. Those rates hit records after the Iran and Ukraine wars drove up inflation and left US crude too costly for Asian refiners, Reuters said. Energy Aspects itself expects the easing to do little for freight rates, since most tankers sanctioned over Russian or Venezuelan links have kept trading for the past three months.
The Energy Department said any relief would do nothing to help Russia ship its oil or refined products. Treasury referred questions to the Energy Department. Yet Reuters noted that both departments could face pressure to let these vessels carry Russian diesel, given Trump’s push to get it onto world markets fast.
Britain is pushing the other way. UK finance minister John Healey urged counterparts at International Monetary Fund meetings in Bangkok on 15 October to keep tough sanctions on Russia, “especially a tighter ban on shipping services” that keep Putin’s shadow fleet operating.
On 9 October, the US Treasury issued a license clearing Russian-origin diesel trade until 7 April 2027. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters it was a weak decision unworthy of Ukraine’s partners. Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Chuck Schumer, and Elizabeth Warren called it a “total betrayal of Ukraine.” Republican Senator Thom Tillis said there is “a legitimate case for saying the president’s not following the law.”
Trump then pressed Kyiv to spare Russian refineries and declared an “energy ceasefire” on 11 October. A White House official told Axios it covers only oil refineries. Neither side confirmed a similar announcement Trump made in mid-September, AAP reported.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on 13 October that contacts on the ceasefire were continuing and referred further questions to Trump, Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported. He claimed the diesel deal was “a very mutually beneficial item of Russian-American cooperation” that serves the interests of Russia, the US, and world energy markets, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported.
by Fabio Giusepep Carlo Carisio
On October 13, 2020, two Chinese institutions (the School of Medicine at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou; the Life Sciences Institute and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network at Soochow University, Suzhou; and Anhui Anlong Gene Technology Co., Ltd., Hefei) published a study warning the world about the risks associated with mRNA and mDNA COVID-19 vaccines.
Their research highlighted the extremely high risk of severe autoimmune lung conditions.
Gospa News was among the very first outlets worldwide to report on this in February 2021—just weeks after the market launch of the Pfizer gene-based serum, which is now under investigation in the USA for concealed adverse effects.
A few months earlier, virologist and Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier—who died under rather mysterious circumstances, given that he was in excellent health despite his age—had warned that this new experimental biotechnology could trigger massive devastation to the immune system, potentially leading to extremely severe forms of cancer.
Over the past two years, the phenomenon of “turbo-cancer” linked to COVID vaccines has entered scientific literature, supported by dozens of studies as well as unequivocal results from medical tests and autopsies.
On Tuesday, October 13, Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery to remove a portion of his lung due to a tumor; in previous years, he had been a leading advocate of the COVID vaccination campaign, describing it as an “act of love.” Relying on information disseminated by the medical establishment, the then-bishop did not hesitate to spread the falsehood that mRNA Covid gene serums could limit transmission, a claim refuted from all quarters, most recently by the Florida Attorney General’s lawsuit against Pfizer, and previously by the authoritative journal *Science*.
These are facts, not opinions.
This stems from the video in which the then-Monsignor Robert Francis Prevost—Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru (Lambayeque region)—championed the Covid vaccination campaign launched by Pope Francis (who later died from conditions similar to the adverse reactions associated with mRNA vaccines).
Is there a faint possibility that, following his serious illness, a Christian like the current Pontiff—innately inclined to acknowledge and repent of his errors—might be ready to question the dangerous “Vaccine God” narrative?
This narrative was upheld by the Vatican to avoid defying the New World Order—comprising friends and profiteers of Big Pharma—during the SARS-CoV pandemic, a virus treacherously engineered in a laboratory.
If, as the Gospel states, Jesus Christ is the “way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), how do the Pope and the cardinals have the audacity to refrain from questioning the science to which they bowed?
That science did not arrive as a “gift of the Holy Spirit,” but rather as a business venture for the Big Pharma manufacturers of mRNA gene serums and for the sordid rulers—past and present—who continue to support these projects at the Siena Biotecnopolo, funded by the Meloni government.
Unfortunately for him, the Pope had to experience firsthand a highly probable adverse reaction to the very vaccines he had so imprudently and brazenly promoted
There is no proof of a correlation, nor will there ever be one; this is because the Vatican State—which was among the first in the world to mandate vaccination for its “subjects”—can never admit to an error of false “faith” so massive that it caused irreparable harm.
Yet, the health updates regarding Pope Leo XIV’s medical conditions echo with a sense of terrible nemesis, as they evoke two pathologies long listed among the most serious side effects of mRNA gene therapies:
Having made this long and inevitable preamble, let us look at what the Holy See’s official bulletin reports regarding the health issue facing the Bishop of Rome, Robert Francis Prevost.
“In a procedure lasting approximately 90 minutes—which was successful and free of complications, Pope Leo XIV had the lower lobe of his right lung removed; an intraoperative histological examination confirmed a diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma. The anticipated medical bulletin containing news on Pope Leo’s health arrived in the evening at 9:53 PM (Occtober, 13), just over two hours after the surgery performed this afternoon, October 13, at the Gemelli Policlinic,” writes Vatican News.
“In the bulletin released by the Holy See Press Office, Dr. Luigi Carbone—Director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene for Vatican City State—and Professor Margaritora announced: ‘This afternoon, the Holy Father underwent the scheduled thoracic surgery. To ensure a radical resection, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique. An intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, as had been suspected based on pre-operative tests,'” the Vatican news site adds.
FREEMASONRY & VATICAN – 3. Pope XIV Magnifies the MASON FILMMAKER who Exalted the KU-KLUX KLAN
“The Holy Father,” the statement continues, “was in the operating room for approximately three hours; the surgery itself lasted about 90 minutes. The procedure was successful, and there were no complications.”
Following the surgery, Leo XIV “woke up normally and, after a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the tenth floor.”
Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio – Founder and Director of Gospa News
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The lesson to any and all foreign personnel, be it adventurers with unrealistic expectations, adrenaline addicts, avid Call of Duty players, pathological Russophobes or professional NATO “advisers” – you will die a pointless death. Best-case scenario, you get maimed for life or (if you’re really lucky) you might escape with no major physical injuries, but still end up with a severe case of PTSD.
Written by Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst
According to the mainstream propaganda machine, the Russian military is composed of bots who mindlessly keep running into machine-gun fire, because the “evil, bloodthirsty tyrant” Vladimir Putin somehow still hasn’t figured out that human wave attacks no longer work. Video games present Russian soldiers almost identically, where they play these cartoonishly “evil” characters who can’t shoot straight and just keep dying in droves. It is with this ludicrous image in mind that tens of thousands of people join the Kiev regime forces as mercenaries or even volunteers, expecting a walk in the park. Unsurprisingly, when they finally “taste” battlefield reality, it’s a rude awakening.
Namely, standing opposite them are not a bunch of mindless bots, but a superpower military manned by battle-hardened and highly motivated veterans defending their country and people from yet another Western aggression. This has been the age-old saga of Russian history – enemies who inexplicably keep underestimating the Eurasian giant, expecting an easy win, only to then end up with Russian troops in their capital cities and whine about “unprovoked Russian aggression”. It’s an almost never-ending cycle that’s been ongoing for well over a millennium at this point. If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, the political West won the first prize in it long ago.
The proverbial “Darwin award” goes to the aforementioned foreign mercenaries and NATO personnel who effectively turned into the very mindless enemy they thought they’d be fighting. Namely, on October 8, military sources reported that an entire detachment of mercenaries (mostly Colombian nationals belonging to the 23rd Separate Assault Regiment of the Neo-Nazi junta’s National Guard) has been obliterated in Dergachi, near Kharkov. The unit was just transferred to the area from an assembly point in Kiev, where they were tracked by increasingly effective Russian ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) assets. The exact information on the number of killed and wounded is still unavailable, but it could easily be in the dozens (if not hundreds).
Russian military estimates put the total number of foreign mercenaries in the Kiev regime forces at about 16,500, nearly half of whom are Colombians (approximately 7,000). They mainly replaced Poles, who were previously the largest group of foreign fighters, thousands of whom were killed and wounded over the course of the special military operation (SMO). Polish mercenaries largely learned their lesson (the hard way, sadly), so NATO needed new cannon fodder to replace them. Unfortunately, Colombians emerged as the most suitable candidates. Back in March, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) published an updated report on foreign mercenaries its forces eliminated in NATO-occupied Ukraine in 2025.
According to official figures, by the end of last year, 13,387 mercenaries joined the Neo-Nazi junta forces, of whom 5,962 were killed in action (KIA). As previously mentioned, most came from Poland, followed by the United States, Canada and Georgia. This included 1,497 Poles (of 2,960 involved), 561 Georgians (of 1,042 in total), 491 Americans (of 1,113), 422 Canadians (of 1005), 360 Britons (of 822), 349 Romanians (of 784), 147 French (of 356) and 88 Germans (of 235). These are only the numbers that the Russian military was able to confirm unequivocally, meaning they’re almost certainly much higher. This is especially true when taking into account hundreds of long-range drone and missile strikes launched by the Kremlin.
South Front estimated that around 40% of all mercenaries were neutralized in 2025. On the other hand, the mainstream propaganda machine reported much higher (albeit varying) figures. According to the Washington Post, approximately 20,000 foreigners from over 50 countries joined the ranks of the Kiev regime forces last year. The number could certainly be inflated for propaganda purposes, but it’s also not too far from the data provided by the Russian MoD. Either way, one thing is certain – no foreign fighter was ready for the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict. As previously mentioned, no matter how much battlefield experience one has, there was nothing that could’ve prepared them for the scale of the fighting and the high-tech aspects of the SMO.
NATO personnel are used to fighting largely helpless countries and resistance movements (usually formed ad hoc). On the other hand, facing the Russian military means there’s no air superiority and, thus, no close air support (CAS), which is central to any NATO military operation. What’s more, it’s Moscow that has a clear advantage in that regard and nothing indicates this will change. Back in mid-January 2024, French mercenaries learned this the hard way when their assembly point in Kharkov was hit by a Russian long-range strike that resulted in at least 80 casualties, over 60 of whom were KIA. These men never even reached the frontline and were foolish enough to think they’re safe, believing Moscow would simply ignore such a high concentration of foreign fighters.
And yet, the situation in the trenches is not much better either. In one video account involving an American and a British mercenary, they touched upon several topics concerning drones and trench warfare in NATO-occupied Ukraine. Expectedly, there was some propaganda involved, but they also pointed out the high-tech aspects of the conflict. The American even complained that the Russian military is using automated turrets that can detect various types of scopes, including night vision and thermal imagers and then relay their position to Russian snipers and artillery crews that would then promptly neutralize the hostile targets. Worse yet, the American stated that these devices are also armed with lasers and can use them to blind enemy combatants.
Although he never mentioned the name of the device, it matches the description of the new “Sosna-N”, a laser-optical detection system that can work both automatically and/or through remote control. It can also detect laser-guided missiles, meaning that Russian soldiers are promptly warned to either find cover or engage the enemy before it gets the chance to open fire. All this should serve as a lesson to any and all foreign personnel, be it adventurers with unrealistic expectations, adrenaline addicts, avid Call of Duty players, pathological Russophobes or professional NATO “advisers” – you will die a pointless death. Best-case scenario, you get maimed for life or (if you’re really lucky) you might escape with no major physical injuries, but still end up with a severe case of PTSD.
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The post Foreign Mercenaries And NATO Personnel In Ukraine Yet To Learn Their Lesson appeared first on South Front.
by Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio
“Our Earth is dying. Even NOAA admits that the super El Niño — a product of geoengineering — can alter the global climate and that the planet’s life-support system has reached a catastrophic tipping point. Global climate terrorists within the US military are intensifying their warfare operations.”
So begins a brief investigation by American Dr. Ana Maria Mihalcea (Source 1)—work that has been suppressed by mainstream media, even though the articles she publishes on her Substack are consistently based on official papers. It was she who published a confidential US Air Force dossier titled “Weather as a Force Multiplier” (link at the bottom of the article).
This document confirms, beyond any reasonable doubt, the military use of weather—a history traced back to Operation Popeye in Vietnam by our geopolitics and intelligence contributor at Gospa News International, Dr. Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake, an academic at the University of Colombo (Sri Lanka)…
It is worth recalling that the US Air Force also distinguished itself by publishing a study on laboratory-created recombinant chimeric viruses—the very nature of SARS-CoV-2, which was found to be spiked with HIV…
Mihalcea adds: “Not only does ball-sized hail constitute an act of terrorism against civilians, but the toxic substances being sprayed—toxic metals, graphene, and polymers—are killing humans, plants, and animals. For years, I have maintained that it is pointless to stop biological weapons linked to COVID-19 if we do not put an end to geoengineering.“
Today, we were supposed to focus specifically on the potential correlation between the HAARP station in Alaska and the alarming intensification of El Niño; however, we will cover this in the next episode because, while searching for documentation on the subject, we uncovered other detailed “scientific scoops”!
El Niño is a periodic warming phenomenon occurring between March and February at intervals of two to seven years; it stands in contrast to La Niña, which causes cooling. This year, the phenomenon is being intensified by equatorial Pacific Ocean temperatures that are already above average.
More details in the descripyion of the VIDEO
Hurricane Isaias leaves hundreds of thousands of people without power in Alabama, Georgia and Florida, with all three states declaring emergencies Flooding is a continuing risk, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says as he warns of a “very hazardous situation”, according to BBC.
Winds peaked at 120mph (193km/h) before Isaias made landfall in Florida late on Friday – images show houses battered by winds and felled trees.
Two people are dead in Alabama, according to the governor, while two more have been killed in separate incidents in Florida. Isaias peaked as a category three hurricane, bringing heavy rain and powerful wind, but has since been downgraded
Video of the recent floods in Chile
While researching geoengineering, we uncovered scientific studies that—when viewed together—suggest a potential link between the activity of the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) and alterations to the ionosphere, space weather, and the Earth’s climate…
By synthesizing the astrophysical data gathered, we can state that artificial electromagnetic bombardment generated by the Alaska station can produce dangeorous effects similar to geomagnetic storms originating from the Sun or other planets.
If you missed any of the nine previous reports in the HAARP Dossier, you can revisit one of the early ones—“TOO MANY FLOODS AFTER DAZZLING AURORAS MADE BY HAARP. Dangerous Tests Funded by US NSF. As Solar project in EU“—as well as the most recent entry: “HAARP Dossier – 9: Cloudbursts, Tornadoes, and Lightning Across Italy, the EU, the USA, and Nepal (Video) Following PARS Tests in Alaska for the Third Consecutive Year—No Correlation? (at the moment in Italian only but avoidable in English with machine stranslation)“
Recent videos regarding the floods in Spain
In short, the immensely powerful HAARP antennas—located at a military base in Gakona, Alaska, and managed by the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) on behalf of the US Air Force (which nonetheless continues to fund experiments alongside the US government’s National Science Foundation, or NSF)—conduct multiple experiments each year involving the geomagnetic bombardment of the ionosphere.
“The ionosphere stretches roughly 50 to 400 miles above Earth’s surface, right at the edge of space. Along with the neutral upper atmosphere, the ionosphere forms the boundary between Earth’s lower atmosphere — where we live and breathe — and the vacuum of space.” (NASA)
As this is a program funded and utilized by the US Pentagon, we are unaware of any scientist ever publishing research on the risks associated with these activities.
With each of our investigations, however, we uncover new, unsettling secrets hidden within the many communications—ostensibly about safety—regarding geoengineering activities; activities described by them as mere study and research, but which we—along with certain European scientists who urged caution—interpret as manipulation.
Indeed, those scientists’ calls for prudence were significant enough to prompt the Pentagon (the US Department of Defense) to relinquish control of the controversial facility in 2015.
«The HAARP facility can generate artificial heating in the atmosphere to enable the study of the variability of the atmosphere, the energetic electron distribution, and how the HF radio wave propagation would be affected. The HAARP HF heater is currently the only available source of controlled ELF/VLF waves available to scientists for magnetospheric wave injection» reads on the official website as we reported in a previous investigation.
The HAARP station’s Ionospheric Research Instrument (IRI) is a massive array of 180 radio antennas spread across a 33-acre site; last August, it conducted PARS (Polar Aeronomy and Radio Science) tests for the third consecutive year prior to the onset of the flood season in Europe and across the globe, a topic we covered in our previous article, *HAARP DOSSIER – 9*.
That is not all. It conducted other tests that were not publicized as part of the official research campaigns and can only be tracked on the website by experts; this is because the UAF is required to issue a “transmission notice” to amateur radio operators, given that electromagnetic tests alter radio frequencies—and much else besides…
Today, we reveal two highly technical yet fundamental points regarding the dangerous HAARP activity—though we hope to present them in a more accessible way, even at the risk of minor scientific inaccuracies:
«The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) will be conducting a research campaign August 25-27 UTC, with operating times specified in the table below. Operating frequencies will vary, but all HAARP transmissions will be between 2.8 MHz and 10 MHz».
This is what was stated in a “transmission notice” dated August 24, 2026 (following our Investigation No. 9) a notice that is effectively hidden from anyone unfamiliar with the website (Source 2).
Not only is this experiment unmentioned on the homepage—which still displays the previous PARS test from August 4–13, 2026, that we had reported on Italian 9 DOSSIER.
But the “Research Campaigns” section has not been updated since the PARS campaign of August 2024. How can such secrecy be explained?
This is because, as revealed in a world exclusive by Gospa News, the geomagnetic bombardment experiments of May 2024 coincided with the appearance of dazzling, anomalous aurorae borealis visible across much of the Northern Hemisphere.
However, UAF management blamed an ongoing solar storm and denied that their tests had triggered or intensified the auroras or that, by interfering with the solar storm, they might be linked to subsequent atmospheric disasters. Since then, transparency regarding the HAARP station has become optional…
DAZZLING AURORAS DEBUNKED! Artificially Caused by HAARP & US NSF. Not by a Solar Storm as CNN Told
I reiterate—for the umpteenth time—that the danger inherent in these electromagnetic bombardments of the ionosphere lies in the fact that no scientific study has ever been conducted on potential short-, medium-, or long-term adverse effects.
At present, Gospa News’ investigations represent the only source of scientific analysis regarding the temporal coincidences between HAARP experiments and anomalous—sometimes even catastrophic—atmospheric events occurring in the weeks and months immediately following them.
This was the case with another test in January 2026—also kept “hidden” and detectable only via the “transmission notice”—which preceded floods and landslides in Europe and the USA.
Now, however, we have identified a study highlighting the critical nature of the foF2 factor as altered by tests conducted at the Alaska station.
“Operating frequencies will vary, but all HAARP transmissions will be between 2.8 MHz and 10 MHz. Actual transmit days and times are highly variable based on real-time ionospheric and/or geomagnetic conditions. All information is subject to change.” reads the official notice dated August 24, 2026 (screenshot above).
“Note that due to the number of experiments and the need to make real-time schedule adjustments based on ionospheric conditions, no frequencies are specified in the table below. The included transmission notice supplement contains information on the frequencies HAARP is authorized to transmit. HAARP transmissions will only occur on our authorized frequencies”.
The communication appears quite generic, yet the notes below specify that “The emission bandwidth may be up to 46 kHz; the actual value depends on the frequency, modulation and experiment requirements”
So far, so good — given that this electromagnetic emission is well below that of a 5G installation (700 MHz, or 700,000 kHz) — but that is not the alarming indicator…
At the point 3 we read: “The authorized Effective Radiated Power (ERP) varies from 457 MW at the lower frequencies up to 3.6 GW at the higher frequencies; the actual power depends on the experiment requirements but will be ≤ authorized limit”
“3.6 GW—or 3,600 megawatts (MW)—represents an enormous amount of power, potentially very dangerous if not managed correctly through industrial infrastructure and specific safety systems.”
Google Gemini’s AI issues this warning, reminding us that this is equivalent to 36 million watts (or 36,000 kilowatts) “the power generated by a medium-sized power plant (such as a large wind or solar farm), capable of powering approximately 12,000 homes simultaneously.”
Let us look at the explanation provided in the caption of the image from the University of Alaska Fairbanks regarding the August experiment (Source 2):
In short, this means interference with satellites and all forms of satellite communication.
It is essentially a “Star Wars”-style tool, given that without Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network, Ukraine—which lacks its own space-based spy stations—would be left blind…
However, the issue of alterations to this foF2 factor is clearly explained in an older study published by the scientific journal *AGU Advancing Earth and Space Science* in its “Space Weather” section.
The study—authored by J. S. Shim of The Catholic University of America and NASA GSFC (Greenbelt, MD, USA), along with other NASA scientists—is titled “Validation of Ionospheric Specifications During Geomagnetic Storms: TEC and foF2 During the March 2013 Storm Event” (Source 3).
That study, published in 2018, makes no reference whatsoever to the HAARP activity in Alaska—given that operations had only just resumed at the time following the transfer from the US Air Force to the University of Alaska Fairbanks—yet it helps mere mortals like us (laypeople when it comes to physics) to at least grasp the importance, and therefore the potential danger, of the foF2 factor.
Let us look at the research abstract:
«To address challenges of assessing space weather modeling capabilities, the Community Coordinated Modeling Center is leading a newly established International Forum for Space Weather Modeling Capabilities Assessment» and this in itself is a curious news item containing alarming words that smack of geoengineering a thousand light-years away…
But it continues:
«This paper presents preliminary results of validation of modeled foF2 (F2 layer critical frequency) and TEC (total electron content) during the first selected 2013 March storm event (17 March 2013)». In this study, we used eight ionospheric models ranging from empirical to physics-based, coupled ionosphere-thermosphere and data assimilation models. The quantities we considered are TEC and foF2 changes and percentage changes compared to quiet time background, and the maximum and minimum percentage changes. In addition, we considered normalized percentage changes of TEC».
Therefore, if foF2 levels rise during a geomagnetic storm, then—by a simple, self-evident philosophical syllogism—artificially exceeding that threshold (as HAARP admitted in the notes regarding its latest test on August 24, 2026) should or could trigger a similarly dangerous space weather event!
To better understand the study’s findings, let us consult the Space Weather website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—the U.S. Department of Commerce agency that studies and attempts to forecast weather events.
«The Total Electron Content (TEC) is the total number of electrons present along a path between a radio transmitter and receiver. Radio waves are affected by the presence of electrons. The more electrons in the path of the radio wave, the more the radio signal will be affected. For ground to satellite communication and satellite navigation, TEC is a good parameter to monitor for possible space weather impacts» states NOAA’s Space Weather service (Source 4).
“The TEC in the ionosphere is modified by changing solar Extreme Ultra-Violet radiation, geomagnetic storms, and the atmospheric waves that propagate up from the lower atmosphere. The TEC will therefore depend on local time, latitude, longitude, season, geomagnetic conditions, solar cycle and activity, and troposphere conditions. The propagation of radio waves is affected by the ionosphere. (..) The change in the path and velocity of radio waves in the ionosphere has a big impact on the accuracy of satellite navigation systems such as GPS/GNSS”. states the US government website.
From these few lines, two definitive concepts emerge:
Here is what the AI Gemini writes on the subject:
Space weather—driven primarily by solar activity (flares, solar wind, and coronal mass ejections, or CMEs)—directly affects the geospace environment and terrestrial technologies.
The interaction of solar plasma with Earth’s magnetic field generates spectacular auroras—both the *borealis* and *australis*—which are sometimes visible even at mid-latitudes during peak storm activity.
We return to the subject of auroras, the “core mission” of HAARP, which states that “high-frequency transmissions often rely on the critical plasma frequency for the F2 region (foF2), as measured by the Gakona ionosonde.”
For someone like me—having written 96 investigative reports on the lab-engineered SARS-CoV-2—reading these statements about the interaction between immense electromagnetic power (3.6 megawatts) and solar activity is truly terrifying.
Google AI Gemini also warns that geomagnetic storms can cause many damages to out planet:
But I am not the only one pointing out the danger of space weather impacts on Earth…
In recent days, we debunked a sensational piece of fake news regarding the explosion of an American spy satellite—a story hastily published by the website *Sorvegliati Spaziali (Space Checks)* after it was misled by Gemini AI. We feel somewhat indebted to them, given the exceptional work they usually do as partners of the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) of Rome (Italy); today, we cite them to provide a detailed scientific explanation of the phenomena that the AI had previously reported in a crude and inaccurate manner.
“Space weather refers to the physical state of the space occupied by Earth and the planets of the Solar System—a region permeated by the solar wind, a continuous stream of electrically charged particles (in a state known as plasma) confined by the analogous ‘interstellar wind’ within a massive bubble called the heliosphere,” reads the entry on Space Meteorology (Source 5).
For the sake of brevity, we will skip the lengthy section explaining magnetic field activity linked to the Sun’s rotation and sunspots, which “can release magnetic energy during chromospheric eruptions (so-called flares), resulting in particle acceleration and the emission of electromagnetic radiation.”
“Enormous ‘plasma bubbles’—known as CMEs or Coronal Mass Ejections—can be accelerated toward the planets. When a planet possesses a magnetic field that acts as a genuine shield against incoming space particles, this field becomes compressed, triggering magnetic storms.“
Finally, we turn to the shimmering skies: their varying color shades depend on radio-frequency intensity—as we highlighted in our analysis of a table regarding HAARP investigations, and as is evident from the table published earlier in this article.
“On Earth, polar auroras appear as delicate, multicolored curtains; their luminosity is generated in the ionosphere by atoms and molecules excited by solar particles that manage to penetrate the magnetic shield. (…) A disturbed ionosphere affects the quality of radio communications—for instance, by making GPS-based positioning problematic. Furthermore, intense ionospheric electric currents can induce significant additional currents in power lines, thereby triggering blackouts.”
Rosanna Rispoli, a researcher at the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) of Rome, explains space weather and the solar geomagnetic storms that give rise to the aurora borealis and aurora australis in a video released on YouTube.
In the video, she highlights the intensity of these phenomena between 2024 and 2025; it is worth noting that these are precisely the years during which HAARP conducted the highest number of experiments.
The video also refers to the intense aurora borealis—”visible at an unusual latitude”—of May 2024; this occurred at the peak of a solar storm but also during one of the most controversial tests conducted by the Alaska station, forcing UAF management to deny a correlation that seemed obvious even to laypeople…
It is baffling that experts fail to even hypothesize a possible link between these exceptional space events and HAARP experiments; yet, this can only be explained by the fear of challenging a Pentagon project.
However, there is a striking new development regarding the impact of space weather on our planet.
“According to a new statistical study published today in *Nature* (July 15, 2026 – Ed.),we are underestimating the potential consequences of severe geomagnetic storms on Earth. The cause appears to be a combination of measurement errors regarding the solar wind—which drives these storms—physical inferences, and a statistical phenomenon known as ‘regression to the mean,'” summarizes Valentina Guglielmo in an article published by INAF’s online news outlet (Source 6).
«Several processes occur between the point where we measure solar wind intensity—the Lagrange L1 point—and the magnetopause, the point where the solar wind strikes Earth’s outer atmosphere,» explains Nithin Sivadas, a researcher in the Department of Physics at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and the paper’s lead author, speaking to *Media INAF* (Gospa News translation from Italian).
«Some of these processes can have a systematic effect on reducing intensity, while others—such as turbulence—can have a random effect, causing stochastic variations in solar wind intensity. We focus exclusively on the processes that cause random variations. Phenomena driving random fluctuations in solar wind intensity measured between L1 and Earth’s vicinity include, for example, the solar wind’s direction, its variable structure, and turbulence closer to Earth.»
«Since these factors introduce random variations, scientists previously hypothesized that, on average, underestimations would cancel out overestimations, allowing us to relate the measured average solar wind intensity to its effects on Earth without worrying about random fluctuations. However, our paper argues that this is not entirely true.»
In the study’s abstract, astrophysicist Sivadas—who also works at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland—and his colleagues write an even more unsettling sentence regarding “statistical bias”:
“Our results reveal that the data analysis underpinning saturation theories is affected by a non-linear bias, thereby calling the validity of such theories into question. When uncertainties are corrected, it emerges that Earth’s response to solar wind forcing is consistently linear and that the impact of extreme geomagnetic storms can be double what was previously believed (Source 7).”
We refer astrophysics enthusiasts and professionals to the complex scientific paper itself; we cite it here solely to refute the mainstream “mantra” claiming that extreme climate changes are driven exclusively by human behavior (certainly a contributing factor) rather than by solar activity—and, by extension, the military geoengineering that mimics it...
Just as with mRNA Covid vaccines, when science truly gets serious and rigorously tests every hypothesis, “politically convenient” certainties begin to crumble…
This “scientific scoop” emerges at a time when HAARP is altering space weather by toying with solar storms—much like “sorcerer’s apprentices” enhancing lethal viruses in a lab—and bombarding the ionosphere, whose primary function is to reflect long-distance radio waves and protect Earth by shielding it from a portion of solar radiation.
Confirming our suspicions and the many unknowns inherent in space weather, here is a final key insight from another study published on the European Commission’s CORDIS website. For the sake of brevity, we cite only the conclusions, which refer to a solar eruption and “Coronal Mass Ejections” (CMEs).
«Light associated with an eruption takes eight minutes to reach Earth’s magnetosphere. However, CMEs can take up to five days to cover the distance to our planet. The solar wind acts on these clouds of superheated plasma like a current opposing a boat’s motion, slowing down the faster ones. STEREO scientists have discovered that the impacts occurring around these clouds must be taken into account to “predict” arrival times with greater accuracy (Source 8)».
«From the constant stream of electrically charged particles known as solar wind to unpredictable CMEs, Earth feels the impact of our stellar companion—an influence that extends far beyond mere light and heat».
This is what scientists from the European Commission-funded STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) mission report (Source 8), implicitly confirming that solar electromagnetic emissions impact Earth’s atmosphere; an effect that, however, can also be artificially replicated by HAARP during Pentagon-funded tests through the alteration of the ionosphere’s “foF2 critical frequency” (as seen in the 2018 Shim et al. study cited above).
The defense strategy of the Alaska station’s proponents has consistently been the same: solar geomagnetic storms are far more powerful—measured in terawatts—and thus vastly exceed the 3.6-gigawatt limit imposed on the UAF.
Yet this remains merely a hypothesis—just like our own—given that until recently (prior to the STEREO and Sivada studies), the prevailing view was that solar flares could not dangerously impact Earth’s atmosphere and clouds…
True science ought to analyze both possibilities; however, were an astrophysicist to discuss the safety of the Pentagon’s projects in Alaska, they would—at the very least—lose their job.
They would also risk premature death, much like the scientists who identified SARS-CoV-2 as a lab-engineered pathogen—foremost among them Luc Montagnier—linking the COVID-19 pandemic to decades-long experiments conducted by DARPA, the US Department of Defense’s military agency.
WUHAN.GATES – 34. COVID IS A SCIENTIST’s KILLER… Who Discovered SARS Viruses Died!
And finally…the kicker: Amarus in Fundo!
A group of researchers from a Japanese university has proposed a theoretical model exploring a possible link between solar storms and earthquakes. They suggest that, under specific conditions, ionospheric disturbances could help trigger seismic events that are already “on the brink” of occurring.
We are not providing details on this study here, as it will be the main topic of the next Gospa News investigation (subscribe to the newsletter), especially in light of the now-alarming seismic activity along the Pacific Ring of Fire…
In this specific context, we move from HAARP to HARP—the Alaska Earthquake Center—which is based right inside the UAF station in Gakona that we discussed in our previous investigation.
Could it be that the “crazy conspiracy theorists”—who blamed earthquakes on those dangerous, mysterious antennas on the American Arctic peninsula—actually had a scientifically valid point?
If that turns out to be the case, Gospa News will aim to prove it—relying, as always, on credible international scientific studies, just as we did for all the “Wuhan-Gates” investigations into lab-engineered SARS-CoV-2 and the harms associated with mRNA vaccines.
Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio – Gospa News founder and director
VITAL RELATED POSTS – ITALIAN LINKS CAN BE READ IN ENGLISH WITH MACHINE TRANSLATION
Depuis le milieu des années 2010, de riches Latino-Américains, en particulier vénézuéliens, choisissent de s'installer dans la capitale espagnole. En parallèle, des centaines de milliers de leurs compatriotes moins privilégiés viennent occuper les emplois les plus précaires ou monter des petits commerces. Parmi eux, de potentiels futurs électeurs que la droite cherche à séduire.
Trottoirs immaculés, grandes avenues ouvertes et bordées d'arbres, passants chics, restaurants gastronomiques… Le quartier madrilène de Salamanca, où le revenu médian place ses habitants dans le 1 % le plus riche d'Espagne, arbore les attributs habituels des beaux quartiers d'une capitale européenne. Ce fief de la haute bourgeoisie, prudemment épargné par les bombes de Francisco Franco lors du siège de la ville entre 1936 et 1939, accueille désormais une nouvelle population étrangère tout aussi aisée.
« Il y a environ cinq mille riches Vénézuéliens à Salamanca », constate David Placer, qui se présente comme un « journaliste indépendant spécialiste de la communauté vénézuélienne ». M. Juan Carlos Gutiérrez fait partie de ces personnes fortunées. Il nous accueille chaleureusement dans son nouveau restaurant, El Impero. Les détails sont soignés, à l'image de cet avocat pénaliste aujourd'hui spécialisé dans le droit international relatif aux droits humains, dans le privé mais aussi auprès de la Cour pénale internationale (CPI). Cuisine ouverte, chefs italiens, opéra chanté par un artiste équato-guinéen, ambiance cosmopolite : l'avocat des figures de l'opposition au chavisme semble ravi de son premier investissement en Espagne.
Trois anciens présidents mexicains de droite ont aussi choisi de s'installer à Madrid : MM. Felipe Calderón, Enrique Peña Nieto et Carlos Salinas de Gortari, lequel a récemment obtenu la nationalité. Depuis 2013, ils sont nombreux à avoir, comme eux, choisi la capitale espagnole pour nouveau havre. Ces Vénézuéliens, Mexicains, Colombiens venus investir ici, et parfois vivre et travailler, jettent cependant souvent leur dévolu sur des biens plus discrets — et plus coûteux — que des restaurants italiens. En particulier des appartements entièrement rénovés avec le plus grand luxe par des promoteurs spécialisés. Le quartier de Salamanca en regorge. « Ils font trois cents à quatre cents mètres carrés, c'est quelque chose de normal pour ce type d'appartements, pour un prix moyen de 12 000 à 14 000 euros le mètre carré », nous expliquent Mme Ofelia Núñez et M. Carlos de Almeida, respectivement directrice de l'investissement résidentiel et directeur des nouvelles constructions résidentielles de la branche espagnole de l'entreprise américaine de conseil en immobilier Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis (CBRE). Le prix moyen du mètre carré dans la capitale était évalué à 4 335 euros en mars 2024, contre 3 741 euros deux ans plus tôt.
Les changements introduits par le Parti populaire (PP, droite) en 2013 expliquent en grande partie l'intérêt soudain des Latino-Américains pour l'immobilier de luxe à Madrid. « L'une de ces dispositions est la création des Socimi [sociétés anonymes cotées d'investissement immobilier], des entreprises consacrées à la spéculation immobilière et qui ne paient presque aucun impôt sur les bénéfices, nous explique Mme Valeria Racu, porte-parole du Syndicat des locataires de Madrid. Cela permet un cycle spéculatif très rapide. » Le clan de M. Henrique Capriles Radonski, candidat à la présidentielle vénézuélienne contre Hugo Chávez en 2012 puis contre M. Nicolás Maduro en 2013, s'est très vite montré friand de ce nouveau régime fiscal, comme en témoigne le lancement des sociétés Agartha (2014) et Orinoquia Real Estate (2017), destinées respectivement au coworking et aux locations de courte durée de logements de standing.
« Madrid propose la pression fiscale la plus réduite de toutes les régions espagnoles », se félicite Mme Kuka Jiménez, directrice de la communication d'Invest In Madrid, un organisme qui dépend de la direction de l'économie de la communauté autonome. « Elle est actuellement la seule à ne pas avoir ses propres impôts locaux », s'enthousiasme-t-elle. Un choix qui lui a permis de devenir le principal point d'entrée des investissements directs étrangers, avec plus de 50 % du total de ceux réalisés dans le pays (1). « Un énorme dumping fiscal », selon M. Pablo Carmona, de la Fondation des communs.
« Toutes les semaines, nous avons deux ou trois investisseurs en provenance d'Amérique latine qui cherchent à acquérir une résidence, à 80 % à Madrid », raconte le cofondateur du cabinet Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo. M. Javier Cremades, l'un des plus prestigieux avocats du pays, nous reçoit dans ses locaux tapissés de portraits des deux fondateurs. Depuis la très chic rue Jorge Juan, en plein quartier de Salamanca, M. Cremades fournit des conseils aux fortunes étrangères désireuses de s'implanter en Espagne et aide en matière de droits humains. Notamment en soutenant l'opposition vénézuélienne en exil. « Nous avons aussi travaillé pour l'administration [du « président par intérim » autoproclamé de 2019 à fin 2022] Juan Guaidó afin de tenter de récupérer des actifs [de l'État vénézuélien au profit de cette administration parallèle] ».
L'argent n'est cependant pas le seul motif d'émigration. Les Vénézuéliens récemment arrivés à Madrid en délicatesse avec le gouvernement de M. Maduro sont nombreux. « En 2017, j'étais physiquement épuisé », confie M. Gutiérrez, désormais associé du cabinet Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo. Il fuit alors le pays et abandonne ses affaires, dans l'hôtellerie et la vente de voitures. M. Antonio Ledezma, maire de Caracas de 2008 à 2015 et l'un des opposants les plus hostiles au pouvoir, quitte également le pays en 2017. À peine arrivé, il se voit offrir la nationalité espagnole par l'ancien président du gouvernement Mariano Rajoy (PP), et la refuse. D'autres l'acceptent, comme le père de l'opposant radical Leopoldo López, M. Leopoldo López Gil, aujourd'hui député européen du PP, les parents de M. Capriles Radonski, ou M. Miguel Henrique Otero. Ce dernier a vu le journal vénézuélien dont il est directeur et propriétaire, El Nacional, un temps favorable à Chávez lorsque celui-ci cheminait vers sa première élection (1998), attaqué par le pouvoir actuel. Il dirige désormais une édition numérique du titre depuis chez lui, dans le quartier de Salamanca, dont il définit la ligne comme « opposée aux populismes de gauche ».
Tous les nouveaux arrivants à Madrid en provenance d'Amérique latine ne sont pourtant pas des multimillionnaires, d'anciens dirigeants de droite ou des opposants politiques. « Le nombre de Vénézuéliens a explosé dans les quartiers d'Entrevías ou de San Diego, observe Placer. Ce sont des quartiers pauvres de Madrid. » Outre l'opposition en exil, beaucoup de Vénézuéliens sont venus en Espagne dans l'espoir d'une vie meilleure.
Un détour par le marché couvert de Maravillas, dans le quartier populaire de Tetuán, permet de s'en rendre compte. Le bâtiment abrite de nombreux étals, la plupart tenus par des Latino-Américains. En plus de la farine de maïs qui permet de confectionner les arepas, des petits pains typiques de la cuisine colombienne et vénézuélienne, on y trouve des piles d'exemplaires du bimensuel gratuit El Venezolano. M. Miguel T. a installé là son commerce d'arepas depuis quatre ans, et reconnaît sans ambages : « Je ne me mêle pas trop de politique. Nous sommes ici pour des raisons économiques. » Un peu plus loin, M. Gema Serrano tient un stand de primeurs. Sa compagne est ainsi vénézuélienne et est venue à Madrid « pour des questions de sécurité plus que de politique », et parce que « c'était plus facile que d'aller aux États-Unis ».
Depuis janvier 2015, les migrants latino-américains gonflent le chiffre des arrivées d'étrangers dans la région de Madrid. Ils y représentaient alors 49 % (561 000 personnes) des immigrés. Début 2022, 58 % des étrangers (816 000) vivant dans la communauté autonome étaient nés dans un pays d'Amérique latine. Alors que les personnes originaires de Chine, du Maroc ou de Roumanie ont vu leur nombre stagner ou baisser, celui des Vénézuéliens, Colombiens, Péruviens, Dominicains et Honduriens a considérablement augmenté. En 2021, les Équatoriens privaient les Roumains de leur statut de communauté étrangère la plus importante de la région, avant d'être eux-mêmes dépassés par les Vénézuéliens en 2022 (2).
« La majorité est issue de la classe moyenne ou aisée, avec des diplômes universitaires. Les pauvres fuient à pied », précise M. Cremades. Un profil sociologique que confirme le directeur d'El Nacional, M. Otero : « Ceux qui arrivent ici sont les plus riches, car il faut acheter un billet d'avion. Pour aller en Colombie, il suffit de traverser un pont. » Les précaires sud-américains constituent le gros des troupes de livreurs à vélo qui quadrillent la ville pour le compte de Deliveroo, Uber Eats ou Glovo. M. Pedro H., l'un de ces travailleurs des plates-formes, confirme le phénomène : sur les huit livreurs avec lesquels il attend les commandes, place de la Glorieta de Cuatro Caminos, dans le quartier de Tetuán, six sont vénézuéliens et deux colombiens. La plupart louent le droit d'utiliser l'application à un autoentrepreneur déclaré, faute de bénéficier d'un permis de travail. Le tout pour dix heures de disponibilité par jour et un revenu oscillant entre 600 et 800 euros mensuels.
La langue et la culture ont beau rester un facteur facilitant a priori l'intégration, les plus pauvres ne sont pas accueillis à bras ouverts. Cependant, contrairement aux autres nationalités, les Vénézuéliens obtiennent en général le permis de résidence. Et ce depuis 2018 et une décision de la commission interministérielle de l'asile et des réfugiés — sous le gouvernement de M. Rajoy — qui accorde aux Vénézuéliens la possibilité de bénéficier d'un droit de résidence temporaire pour des motifs humanitaires, et non en vertu du droit d'asile. En tout, selon les données du ministère de l'intérieur, 113 487 décisions favorables ont été rendues entre 2019 et 2022. Selon Mme Elena Muñoz, responsable juridique au sein de la Commission espagnole d'aide aux réfugiés, une organisation non gouvernementale (ONG) qui œuvre en faveur des demandeurs d'asile, « 98 % de ces autorisations [au titre du motif humanitaire] ont été données à des Vénézuéliens ». Les Latino-Américains peuvent par ailleurs demander la nationalité espagnole après deux ans de résidence légale dans le pays. Ils jouissent de facilités en matière de visas de tourisme.
Pour les plus aisés et les plus diplômés, la situation est différente. La qualité de vie d'une capitale européenne, la présence de nombreuses universités privées, des prix de l'immobilier de luxe encore relativement attractifs comparés à Miami ou Paris, la langue et la culture communes, ainsi que la solidarité de classe qui fonctionne grâce aux relais bien placés auprès des gouvernements, en particulier de droite, ont fait de Madrid une destination à la mode.
« Il y a toujours eu une relation très intense entre la droite espagnole et la droite vénézuélienne », confirme Juan Carlos Monedero, professeur de science politique à l'université Complutense de Madrid, spécialiste de l'Amérique latine et par ailleurs cofondateur du parti de gauche radicale Podemos. Bien que ces liens aient une très forte dimension personnelle et entrepreneuriale, selon lui, ils sont aussi nourris par une proximité politique.
Réélue en mai 2023 avec la majorité absolue des sièges à la tête de la communauté autonome de Madrid et désormais figure majeure du PP, l'ultralibérale Isabel Díaz Ayuso a d'ailleurs fait de l'antichavisme un leitmotiv de son discours. Son slogan « Communisme ou liberté » est massivement utilisé par son camp depuis les élections locales de 2021. Une branche de la direction du PP de Madrid consacrée aux « nouveaux Madrilènes », placée sous le contrôle de Mme Ayuso, a été créée et confiée à un Vénézuélien, M. Gustavo Eustache. Si ce dernier, que nous rencontrons au siège de la formation, rue Génova, assure « avoir travaillé avec énormément de communautés », il admet cibler surtout les Latino-Américains, qui représentent « le gros de ceux qui ont le droit de voter ». M. Eustache, qui arbore fièrement son bracelet « Communisme ou liberté », connaît par cœur les chiffres et la composition des communautés d'étrangers, et laboure sans relâche le terrain pour sa candidate. Quitte à investir jusqu'aux autels des églises évangéliques assidûment fréquentées par la frange la plus conservatrice de cet électorat (3).
M. Eustache serait-il devenu essentiel pour le PP ? Au niveau national, la question ne se pose pas vraiment : le nombre de Latino-Américains jouissant de la double nationalité, disposant donc du droit de vote, s'avère trop faible. Les données de l'Institut national des statistiques espagnol (INE) permettent d'identifier 2,2 millions d'étrangers disposant du droit de vote (6,5 % du corps électoral), dont 1,5 million de Latino-Américains (4,3 % du corps électoral) (4). À Madrid, la situation est différente : d'une part, la concentration de personnes nées à l'étranger est beaucoup plus importante ; d'autre part, les titulaires d'une double nationalité ne sont pas forcément les seuls à voter. En effet, lorsqu'il existe une convention permettant aux Espagnols de voter dans un pays étranger, l'Espagne applique la réciprocité pour les élections municipales.
« C'est la nouvelle réalité. Les personnes nées à l'étranger représentent 21 % de la population de la communauté autonome de Madrid, près de 1,5 million de personnes — 61 % d'origine latino-américaine, 21 % d'origine européenne —, dont 1 million bénéficiant du droit de vote [aux municipales] : 500 000 du fait d'accords bilatéraux, et 500 000 à la suite de l'obtention de la nationalité », détaille M. Eustache. Un chiffre certes non négligeable, mais cela ne signifie pas que tous votent, ni que tous votent à droite… Comparé au poids électoral des Latino-Américains dans le comté de Miami-Dade — 915 000 personnes, soit 58 % des inscrits, dont un tiers sont cubains —, celui des Latino-Américains de Madrid est donc à relativiser (5).
La droite construit ce récit antichaviste et pro-immigrés latino-américains à destination des Espagnols : il permet de mobiliser l'électorat conservateur et bourgeois grâce à l'indémodable peur des communistes prêts à prendre possession des avenues de la capitale. La diabolisation de la gauche, souhaitant transformer l'Espagne en un « chaos digne du Venezuela », constitue celle-ci en repoussoir. Pour les conservateurs, cette dramatisation vise aussi à contenir le concurrent d'extrême droite, le parti Vox, en jouant la carte du vote utile (6). « Dans la construction de la figure du méchant universel, le Venezuela a remplacé Cuba et l'URSS, analyse ainsi Monedero. Cela s'ajoute au fait qu'une partie d'entre nous, en Espagne, notamment chez Podemos, avons eu des relations avec les gouvernements progressistes en Amérique latine. Moi, j'ai travaillé avec Chávez, par exemple. »
La persistance de cette thématique dans le discours du PP et de Vox peut aussi être vue comme un marqueur idéologique au sein de la droite. Il lui est d'autant plus utile qu'il permet d'opposer un échec à son propre échec : celui du capitalisme néolibéral et la crise de 2008, qui a violemment éprouvé l'Espagne. La droite vénézuélienne et la droite espagnole cherchent en effet à construire la légitimité de leur discours suivant une posture de défense inconditionnelle de la démocratie. Alors que Mme Ayuso traite l'ancien dirigeant de Podemos et l'actuel président du gouvernement Pedro Sánchez de dictateur, M. Ledezma affirme de son côté que Podemos « est une franchise du chavisme ». Le parti d'extrême droite Vox n'hésite pas à relativiser les crimes du franquisme ? « Ils défendent la démocratie », nous explique-t-il. Il ira même jusqu'à signer, en octobre 2020, la « lettre de Madrid », un document élaboré à l'initiative d'une fondation présidée par M. Santiago Abascal, le dirigeant de Vox. Le Forum de São Paulo, une structure qui rassemble la gauche latino-américaine, y est qualifié de « groupe criminel » et les gouvernements de gauche de la région de « totalitaires » (7). Parmi les autres signataires, Mme Marion Maréchal, la nièce de Mme Marine Le Pen, M. Eduardo Bolsonaro (fils de l'ancien président d'extrême droite du Brésil), Mme Giorgia Meloni, la dirigeante de Fratelli d'Italia devenue depuis présidente du Conseil en Italie…
La porosité entre les droites des deux côtés de l'Atlantique est accentuée par le fait que la plupart des membres de la communauté vénézuélienne, moins politisés, peu ou pas fortunés, ne sont pas des admirateurs du gouvernement de M. Maduro. Ce qui les rend souvent sensibles aux discours critiques concernant le rôle de l'État ou les méfaits du « socialisme ». « Il est logique de penser qu'ils ne vont pas s'affilier à des partis similaires à ceux qu'ils ont fuis », note ainsi M. López Gil.
« Le vote des Latinos qui fuient l'Amérique latine est un vote conservateur : la famille, la loi, l'ordre, la libre entreprise », veut croire de son côté M. Otero. Monedero confirme : « À court terme, il est pratiquement impossible de convaincre ces personnes de soutenir la gauche, parce que leur architecture neuronale leur dit que la gauche est mauvaise. » Un constat que semble corroborer une étude menée en 2021 par Laura Morales et Carles Pamies, auprès des Vénézuéliens résidant en Espagne, dans laquelle les deux chercheurs montrent que ces derniers « sont beaucoup plus susceptibles de voter pour des partis de droite que le reste des Latino-Américains » (8).
Mais les Vénézuéliens émigrés sont-ils si à droite que cela ? « Ils sont en réalité plus antichavistes que de droite », estime le journaliste Placer. Difficile dans ces conditions de former un bloc idéologiquement cohérent. Plusieurs interlocuteurs pointent d'ailleurs l'absence de réelle organisation de la communauté, avec des groupes poursuivant chacun leur propre feuille de route. « Ce n'est pas une communauté si forte, chacun s'occupe un peu de ses affaires », explique par exemple M. Miguel T., le commerçant du marché de Maravillas. Placer pointe lui aussi l'absence de structuration dans et entre les différents groupes de Vénézuéliens : « Je ne crois pas que leur but soit d'influencer leur pays d'origine depuis Madrid. Ils n'ont pas de projet politique. Le but est davantage de peser ici, entre eux, pour leurs affaires », tranche-t-il. Leur penchant très à droite est aussi un handicap, selon lui : « Aux États-Unis, les Cubains sont plus intelligents, ils maintiennent des contacts avec les deux bords. Ici, ils ont oublié le PSOE [Parti socialiste ouvrier espagnol], qui est au pouvoir. »
En tout état de cause, l'arrivée de Latino-Américains fortunés a déjà eu une incidence : « Cela génère un processus de gentrification », explique le sociologue Andrés Walliser. Avec un changement important dans la configuration du régime de propriété dans les zones concernées. « Dans ces quartiers, aujourd'hui, le marché est saturé ; il ne reste que quelques immeubles appartenant à une seule famille », confirment Mme Núñez et M. de Almeida, de CBRE Espagne. Ainsi, les acheteurs se tournent petit à petit vers d'autres quartiers. « Les fonds d'investissement et les agences spécialisées expulsent les locataires [en renchérissant le prix des loyers], qui se tournent alors vers d'autres quartiers, dont ils expulsent à leur tour les habitants », résume Mme Racu.
À défaut d'une capitale des oppositions de droite aux gouvernements de gauche, les millionnaires latino-américains du continent auront au moins activement participé à l'émergence… d'une Miami immobilière fondée sur le dumping fiscal.
(1) « Inversión exterior » (PDF), Subdirección general de análisis económico, communauté autonome de Madrid, deuxième trimestre 2022.
(2) Fernando Peinado, « Madrid, cada día más hispanoamericana : casi el 60 % de los inmigrantes procede de la América que habla español », El País, Madrid, 10 octobre 2022.
(3) Fernando Peinado, « Así hace campaña el PP de Ayuso en las iglesias evangélicas : “Tenemos unas elecciones importantes en mayo” », El País, 3 avril 2023.
(4) Fernando Peinado, « ¿A quién votan los hispanoamericanos ? », El País, 26 mars 2023.
(5) Luis Noe-Bustamante, « Latinos make up record 17 % of Florida registered voters in 2020 », Pew Research Center, Washington, DC, 19 octobre 2020.
(6) Lire Maëlle Mariette, « Impossible recentrage du Parti populaire espagnol », Le Monde diplomatique, juillet 2023.
(7) Fundación Disenso, « Carta de Madrid : en defensa de la libertad y la democracia en la iberosfera », 26 octobre 2020.
(8) Laura Morales et Carles Pàmies, « El voto de los venezolanos (y otros latinoamericanos) en Madrid : mitos y realidades », 26 avril 2021.
By Raphael Machado | Strategic Culture Foundation | October 4, 2026
The year 2026 is passing quickly. In fact, it won’t be long before it ends. Still, we remember very well how this year opened: on January 3, the U.S. carried out a military operation in Caracas, in which they abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Lícia Flores. During this operation, a large part of Maduro’s bodyguards lost their lives. Maduro was close to a bunker, but he couldn’t reach it and seal the door in time before being captured.
In his place, Delcy Rodríguez assumes power, supported by her brother Jorge Rodríguez, who presides over the National Assembly, by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, and by Vladimir Padrino López, who controls the military. Far from betting on “free and democratic elections,” the U.S. endorsed the continuity of Bolivarian politics, keeping Delcy Rodríguez in power. Maria Corina Machado, Juan Guaidó’s successor in the Venezuelan “color revolution” project, has already fallen into oblivion.
What really happened during Maduro’s abduction? The circumstances were never sufficiently well explained, and we continue swimming amid rumors and hearsay. Occasionally, unverifiable information emerges that some elements of Maduro’s security team sold him out in exchange for financial compensation, never paid by the U.S. In fact, Venezuela’s interim government made several changes to the presidential guard after the abduction, even while denying that there was any betrayal.
But the big question is what happened to all the Russian and Chinese military equipment acquired by Venezuela. Why wasn’t it used on January 3? We are talking, for example, about Chinese JY-27A, JYL-1, and JY-11 radars, some of which have anti-stealth capability, as well as Russian Sukhoi Su-30 fighters and Russian anti-aircraft systems such as the S300 and Buk-M2. None of this appears to have been used during the U.S. attack. Lack of maintenance? Lack of readiness among Venezuelan soldiers? It is not known.
Since then, Delcy Rodríguez has been criticized extremely by foreign anti-imperialists for her conciliatory stance toward the U.S. Whenever news appears of a meeting between Venezuela’s interim president and some U.S. representative, such as Dan Caine of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marco Rubio, or, as recently, Donald Trump, criticism abounds. The same happens when the Venezuelan government issues its now-typical official notes celebrating “collaboration” with the U.S., the “improvement in relations,” “investment opportunities,” and so on.
Now, to some extent, it is quite easy to criticize Venezuela’s interim government while outside Venezuela and without having to deal with the same kind of pressure. In a practical and material sense, what options does Venezuela have today? To what extent can it directly and openly defy the U.S.?
The version offered by supporters of the current Venezuelan government is that Delcy Rodríguez’s priority is to preserve the Bolivarian political system and secure the return of Nicolás Maduro. Economic sovereignty can, to a certain extent, be sacrificed in the short term; the power structure cannot, since it is harder to rebuild or recover if it ceases to exist. In this sense, Delcy Rodríguez would be offering concessions to the U.S. in order to buy time, waiting until political changes within the U.S. – such as a Trump defeat in the midterms or, perhaps, in the next presidential elections – bring about a more favorable scenario.
The narrative is plausible and, frankly, in Delcy Rodríguez’s place I would do the same thing. There don’t seem to be many other options, at this moment, for Venezuela, besides damage control.
But how much is it possible to concede?
In just 1 year we have seen the return of the U.S. Embassy to Caracas, as well as the establishment of a CIA office in the country and the restoration of relations with the State of Israel.
On the economic front, the U.S. has come to approach the revenue from approximately 1 million barrels exported daily, whose value is only partially returned to the Venezuelan government for investments and spending authorized by the U.S. A good part of the value remains with the U.S. government, and Trump referred directly to this value as spoils of war.
Soon after, Venezuela granted the American company Trafigura the right to buy and export Venezuelan gold to be refined abroad, with approximately 400kg of gold per month being transferred to the U.S.
And more recently, Venezuela ceded to the U.S. majority control over unexplored Venezuelan reserves that would theoretically amount to 65 billion barrels of oil. These are areas in which the U.S. would make investments of 100 billion dollars to extract oil for 25 years, which would yield 200 billion dollars in revenue for Venezuela, but much more for the companies involved and for the U.S. government.
How much further is Delcy Rodríguez willing to go? That is the question.
Finally, it is reckless to believe that a change in the White House from a Republican government to a Democratic government would represent a turn of fortune for Venezuela. On strategic topics, there is a surprising continuity of foreign policy between different governments, which indicates to us that perhaps it is not the White House that dictates the real guidelines. Moreover, it costs nothing to remember that it was under Barack Obama that the siege against Venezuela really began, intensifying with each subsequent presidency, whether Republican or Democratic.
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