Russia can't help anyone, even if they want to. This wasn't meant to be a critique that they are disloyal allies. They're simply overstretched. They are completely preoccupied in Ukraine and they have a GDP smaller than South Korea. They can't even send arms because they consume almost everything they produce.

China could help, but Trump and Xi aren't interested in a Pacific hot war over Venezuela. The oil price is in free fall. Only $55/barrel, on the primary market. You can get it from Russia for a mere $40/barrel.

Venezuela is now bowling alone.

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Maybe they are overstretched, i don't know. And even if they aren't, my guess is that they are close to. But they have sent weapons to Venezuela already, to Iran too, also troops to Burkina Faso and elsewhere. They have some presence. Is it enough? I guess it would depend on the situation. Probably not much to expect, except in some cases like Belarussia. Still they outperform NATO in weapon production (according to NATO)

https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-ammunition-production-nato-mark-rutte-2025-6?op=1

Yes, they produce more of what they build. I think Ukraine also does.

ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴘʀᴏʙᴀʙʟʏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ ᴄᴏɪɴᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴍɪɴᴇʀᴀʟ ʀᴇꜱᴏᴜʀᴄᴇꜱ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠᴇʟʏ ᴇxᴛʀᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ᴏᴘᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴꜱ ᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ꜰᴀᴄɪʟɪᴛɪᴇꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ɪɴ ᴇᴀꜱᴛᴇʀɴ ᴇᴜʀᴏᴘᴇ.

ᴀʟꜱᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋᴇʀꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴅɪʟɪɢᴇɴᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴇʀɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴡᴏʀᴋ.

ᴛʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ᴡʜʏ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴄᴏʟᴏɴɪꜱᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʀᴇᴛᴀʀᴅᴇᴅ ᴍᴀʀxɪꜱᴛ ɪᴅᴇᴏʟᴏɢʏ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴜʟᴛᴜʀᴇ ɪꜱ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ʀᴇꜱɪꜱᴛᴀɴᴛ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪɴᴇʀᴀʟꜱ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴀʙᴜɴᴅᴀɴᴛ.

They say that the soviet union was building factories with extension in mind...

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ʙʏ ᴇxᴛᴇɴꜱɪᴏɴ?

ᴀɴʏᴡᴀʏ, ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ꜱᴘᴇɴᴛ ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɪɴ ʙᴜʟɢᴀʀɪᴀ, ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪꜱ ᴀ ʜᴜɢᴇ ʀɪᴄʜ ᴄᴏᴀʟ ᴅᴇᴘᴏꜱɪᴛ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ᴏꜰ ꜰᴀᴄᴛᴏʀɪᴇꜱ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ꜱɪᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀᴄᴄᴇꜱꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ. ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱʜᴜᴛ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇʟᴇᴄᴛʀᴏɴɪᴄꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴀᴘᴇʀ/ᴡᴏᴏᴅ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇꜱꜱɪɴɢ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴍᴀꜱꜱɪᴠᴇ ꜱᴀɴᴅꜱᴛᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏɴᴄʀᴇᴛᴇ ɪɴᴅᴜꜱᴛʀʏ, ɪ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴍɪᴇʙʟᴏᴄᴋꜱ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀʟᴋᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ʙᴜɪʟᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʙᴜʟɢᴀʀɪᴀɴ ʟɪᴍᴇ

They were building them in a way that they could grow bigger if more production were needed. Very different approach from the west

ʏᴇꜱ, ᴍʏ ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴍᴀɴʏ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʜᴀᴅ, ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴀ ʀᴜꜱꜱɪᴀɴ/ᴜᴋʀᴀɪɴɪᴀɴ, ᴛᴏ ʙᴜʟɢᴀʀɪᴀɴꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴇʀʙꜱ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴛᴀʟᴇɴᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴇɴɢɪɴᴇᴇʀɪɴɢ ꜰᴀʀ ꜱᴜʀᴘᴀꜱꜱᴇꜱ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪꜱ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇꜱᴛᴇʀɴ ᴇᴅᴜᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ꜱʏꜱᴛᴇᴍ.

ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴏᴠɪᴇᴛ ꜱᴛʏʟᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪꜱᴍ (ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ꜱᴏᴠɪᴇᴛ ᴍᴇᴀɴꜱ "ᴄᴏᴜɴᴄɪʟ" ꜱᴀᴍᴇ ᴀꜱ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ꜰᴀꜱᴄɪꜱᴛꜱ ɪɴ ᴡᴇꜱᴛᴇʀɴ/ᴄᴇɴᴛʀᴀʟ ᴜꜱᴇ, ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇꜱ, ɪɴ ʙᴜʟɢᴀʀɪᴀɴ ɪᴛ'ꜱ ꜱᴀᴠᴇᴛ). ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʟꜱᴏ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴘᴜꜱʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴘᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ ᴀɢᴇɴᴅᴀ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴀꜱᴛ. ᴡᴏᴋᴇ ɪꜱ ᴀ ʙɪᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍ ʜᴇʀᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴀꜱᴛ ʙᴜᴛ ꜰᴀʀ ʟᴇꜱꜱ ᴛʜᴀɴ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇꜱᴛ, ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴇxᴀᴍᴘʟᴇ ᴡᴏᴍᴇɴ ᴀʀᴇ ᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ ʙʟᴜᴇʜᴀɪʀꜱ, ᴏɴʟʏꜰᴀɴꜱ ᴏʀ ᴘɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇꜱᴛ ᴛʏᴘᴇꜱ.

Indeed.

Also about Venezuela, i don't think there would be a land operation, they will try to suffocate Venezuela's economy by sea blockade. But then, it is much more easier to help Venezuela by sending money than sending troops and weapons. USA has to do more than blockade and already Venezuela has detained USA agents. Can USA do more than blockade?