Lights Out, Choppers In: Did US Display Its Cyber Supremacy While Capturing Maduro?

Last Updated:January 06, 2026, 18:36 IST

Decoding the capture of Maduro: How did the US manage a blackout in Caracas? How did American choppers enter Venezuela? How were the web services disrupted?

(Left) Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas; Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is escorted in the US. (AP/Reuters)

United States (US) President Donald Trump, during his press conference on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from Caracas on Saturday, made a key revelation.

“It was dark, the lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have, it was dark, and it was deadly," Trump said from Mar-a-Lago, detailing the Operation Absolute Resolve.

Then came another hint. General Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the same press conference that the US Cyber Command, US Space Command and combatant commands “began layering different effects" to “create a pathway" for US forces flying into the country early Saturday. Caine did not elaborate on what those “effects" entailed.

Did the US just display cyber supremacy with the operation to capture Maduro?

Here’s what we know:

1. BLACKOUT IN CARACUS

Electric grids are controlled by the Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition). A blackout could have been achieved by a cyberattack on grid control systems.

A well-targeted cyberattack through a malware placed months ago could have manipulated or disrupted grid control logic, command automated protective shutdowns and disabled control centres remotely.

While there is no official confirmation on what was executed in Caracas, this modus operandi was seen in the 2015 Ukrainian grid attack, which was attributed to Russian cyber operators.

Electronic warfare can also be used to degrade communications between grid monitoring systems or disrupt the control signals of substations or generators. Coupled with kinetic actions against specific assets, this can blind defenders. Modern military doctrine often combines cyber effects to blind or mislead defenders, electronic warfare to disrupt sensors and communications and precision strikes on critical nodes. Some blackouts may also arise from destruction or disabling of protective relays and substations during strikes; cyber effects might amplify or trigger breaker trips.

2. HOW WAS PATHWAY CREATED FOR THE AIRCRAFT?

Another pertinent question posed by many was: Why was a blackout necessary to capture Maduro? The simple answer is for the US forces to enter and also to kill the communications used by the military.

Gen. Caine stated that over 150 U.S. military aircraft from across the Western Hemisphere participated in the operation, including fighter jets, bombers, drones, and support aircraft that helped secure airspace and protect the assault force. He said that the helicopters carrying the assault force flew at very low altitude to avoid detection and were supported by overhead aircraft as they approached Caracas.

While Caine didn’t confirm, following a blackout, radar stations have to switch to the backup diesel generators, which typically takes between 2 and 5 minutes. The time limit can easily help the aircraft enter undetected.

3. MADURO COULD NOT CLOSE THE DOOR?

During the briefing, Trump revealed another detail. “Maduro was trying to get to a safe place … It was a very thick door, a very heavy door. But he was unable to get to that door. He made it to the door, but he was unable to close it," said the US President.

Could this have been done digitally? Again, while there is no official confirmation, many modern high-security doors are part of a digital ecosystem and rely on electrical power, electronic locks or magnetic seals, access-control servers, sensors that confirm closure and building automation systems.

In the absence of power supply, which was the case in Caracas, cyber operations can interfere with communications between systems and cause automated safety or fail-open behaviour. In military doctrine, this is called “layered" or “multi-domain effects". Such a move could possibly ensure that the door is unable to lock in time. Or it could have just been the physical distance between him and the troops.

4. SIGNALS WERE MONITORED

Defense One, a US defense news outlet, reported that the US intelligence agencies contributed to the planning and execution, providing signals and geolocation intelligence that supported the special operations forces. This strongly suggests sophisticated ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance), including potential signals monitoring.

5. WEB SERVICES DISRUPTED

NetBlocks, a company that monitors global network and telecom connectivity, confirmed that web services in Caracas were temporarily offline as part of the disruption. NetBlocks reported that large-scale web traffic, likely the result of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, was used to target and overwhelm the city’s servers. The attack caused significant disruption to digital communications, making it harder for Venezuelans to access information and for Maduro’s administration to respond effectively to the growing crisis.

News world Lights Out, Choppers In: Did US Display Its Cyber Supremacy While Capturing Maduro?

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