General Oleg Makarevich, dismissed by Putin, supervises a military mission in Venezuela, training local forces in various disciplines, including drones.

Previously dismissed by Vladimir Putin due to failures in Ukraine, Colonel General Oleg Leontievich Makarevici now leads the Equator Intervention Force (ETF) in Venezuela, according to the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service. This mission includes over 120 members who train Venezuelan forces in multiple military disciplines. Additionally, an elite Russian unit specialized in drones has recently arrived in Venezuela to prepare local troops in operating first-person view (FPV) drones.

Budanov, the head of HUR, mentioned that the ETF mission is long-term and is not a reaction to the strengthening of the US presence in the Caribbean, but part of the pressure campaign on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Makarevici, at the age of 62, was dismissed in October 2023 after a Ukrainian counteroffensive and is accused of destroying the Nova Kakhovka dam, causing devastating floods.