i may have misunderstood the chronology.

it seemed as though the americans decided to pull out of syria and redeploy to venezuela, in a strategic re-evaluation of which oil field is more valuable. i stated things liked "if the americans want maduro gone, they'll blockade the oil, and watch the military take over in five minutes". while the americans have tried some sanctions, they have been slow to take effect and are arguably harming themselves more than anybody else, as they are not actually preventing venezuela from exporting the oil. really, all they did was give the russians an opportunity to walk in.

but, that would suggest this process started around christmas.

and, it may be that the russians actually made the first move, here; perhaps the muted american response is a consequence of their hands being tied.

it would be one thing if we were talking about korea or iran, but for the americans to be unable to act in south america due to strategic russian dominance is a major shift in the balance of world power.

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/12/11/nuclear-capable-russian-bombers-land-in-venezuela.html