Venezuela Links Repeated Grid Sabotage to Foreign-Led “Hybrid War”
Venezuela denounces new sabotage of power grid, calls it part of foreign-backed hybrid war. Critics blame infrastructure collapse and government mismanagement.
Corpoelec workers restore damaged high-voltage lines in Carabobo after four transmission towers were allegedly brought down in a coordinated sabotage effort. Photo: HispanTV
June 9, 2025 Hour: 5:04 am
Caracas accuses foreign-backed actors of targeting the nation’s electrical infrastructure in a coordinated effort to destabilize the Bolivarian state.
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Venezuelan authorities have denounced a new act of sabotage against the country’s power grid, after four high-voltage transmission towers were destroyed Sunday night in Carabobo state. The government says the incident is part of a broader “hybrid war” led by foreign forces seeking to destabilize the country through economic pressure, psychological warfare, and infrastructure attacks.
The towers, which carried 230 kilovolts between the La Arenosa substation and the Termocarabobo plant, are part of Venezuela’s centralized electric network, which relies heavily on hydroelectric generation from the Guri complex in Bolívar state.
In a statement, the Ministry of People’s Power for Electric Energy (MPPEE) said repair teams from the state-run Corpoelec responded immediately to restore services and prevent cascading failures. Authorities also confirmed that security forces have launched an investigation to identify the material and intellectual perpetrators.
“Faced with systematic aggression, Venezuela responds with work and unwavering loyalty to our sovereignty,” the MPPEE said. “Those who once tried to suffocate us with criminal blockades now resort to terror to divide us—but they underestimate the rebellious spirit of this people, heirs to the glories of our liberators.”
This is the second reported attack of its kind in just over a month. On May 1, four similar towers were brought down in Aragua state, in what officials also described as a deliberate act of sabotage.
The attack comes as Venezuela continues to experience periodic blackouts and energy shortages. Since the nationwide blackout of March 2019—when most of the country was left without electricity for days—over 200 significant power outages have been recorded, according to data from national observatories.
Venezuela’s electric system is highly centralized, with up to 80% of power generated by a single hydroelectric source. That centralization, coupled with aging infrastructure and U.S. sanctions that limit access to maintenance supplies, has increased the grid’s vulnerability.
In 2019, Venezuela accused the United States of sabotaging the Guri hydroelectric plant through a cyberattack—an allegation supported by allies like Russia, Cuba, and Bolivia. Then-President Evo Morales called the blackout a “cowardly act of terror.”
U.S. officials, however, have repeatedly rejected such accusations. Former Special Envoy Elliott Abrams blamed “decades of underinvestment, corruption, and politicization” for Venezuela’s electric failures, asserting that infrastructure decay—not foreign sabotage—was to blame.
Critics of the Maduro administration maintain that systemic neglect and a lack of transparency are the real culprits behind the recurring power outages, not external enemies. Independent energy experts have also warned that the government often uses “sabotage” claims to deflect from governance failures.
As Venezuela struggles with a deep economic crisis and international isolation, its power grid has become a frontline in the nation’s broader political conflict. The government frames these incidents as part of a foreign-backed hybrid war—a campaign it says includes cyberattacks, economic sanctions, and media disinformation aimed at dismantling the Bolivarian project.
While many Latin American governments remain divided on the causes of Venezuela’s energy crisis, the repeated attacks highlight a key vulnerability: an overstretched electrical system operating under pressure, with limited resources and a polarized political context.
Without independent investigations or transparent data, the true nature of each incident remains difficult to confirm. But for Caracas, the pattern is clear. “They will not break us,” said MPPEE officials. “They only strengthen our will to resist.”
Author: MK
Source: HispanTV - VTV - Corpoelec
