Venezuelan Vice President Rodriguez, Maduro’s Likely Successor, Reportedly in Russia

Venezuelan Vice President Reportedly in Russia as Maduro’s Capture Creates Power Vacuum

The presumed successor to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is currently in Russia, according to multiple sources familiar with her movements. Four sources confirmed to Reuters that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez had fled to Russia, though Russia’s foreign ministry dismissed the report as “fake.”

The revelation comes amid dramatic developments following President Donald Trump’s announcement that U.S. forces had captured Maduro and his wife during a military operation. Trump later shared an image on Truth Social showing Maduro blindfolded and detained aboard the U.S.S. Iwo Jima, stating the Venezuelan leader would subsequently be transported to New York.

Earlier Saturday, Rodriguez demanded through Venezuelan state television that the U.S. provide “proof of life” for Maduro and his wife. “We demand that President Donald Trump’s government provide immediate proof of life for President Maduro and the First Lady,” Rodriguez stated, according to Reuters.

The power vacuum in Caracas has created uncertainty about Venezuela’s immediate political future. While Rodriguez, as vice president, would be the constitutional successor, her reported flight to Russia complicates the succession picture. Meanwhile, her brother Jorge Rodriguez, who heads Venezuela’s national assembly, remains in Caracas according to three sources who spoke with Reuters.

At a press conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump confirmed that the United States would temporarily administer Venezuela. “We can’t take a chance of letting somebody else run and just take over where he left off. So we’re making that decision now,” Trump told Fox News. “We’ll be involved in it very much, and we want to do liberty for the people.”

Experts suggest that opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González, who together won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, are likely candidates to form a transitional government. Jorge Jraissati, president of the Economic Inclusion Group and a Venezuelan analyst, told Fox News Digital that “Machado and Gonzalez would assume a transitional government in Venezuela.”

The capture of Maduro marks a dramatic shift in Venezuela’s political landscape. Maduro, who previously served as vice president, assumed power in 2013 following the death of Hugo Chávez and has maintained tight control over the oil-rich nation for over a decade despite widespread accusations of election fraud, human rights abuses, and economic mismanagement.

Venezuela, once among South America’s wealthiest nations due to its vast oil reserves, has experienced severe economic collapse under Maduro’s leadership. Hyperinflation, food and medicine shortages, and mass emigration have characterized the country in recent years, with millions of Venezuelans fleeing to neighboring countries and the United States.

The U.S. military action represents a significant shift in American foreign policy toward Venezuela after years of diplomatic pressure and economic sanctions. Trump indicated that the intervention was necessary to restore democratic governance and improve U.S.-Venezuelan relations. “I think the people of Venezuela are very, very happy because they love the United States. You know, they were run by essentially a dictatorship or worse,” Trump remarked.

The international community now watches closely as the situation develops, with particular attention on whether Rodriguez will attempt to assert authority from abroad and how opposition figures might position themselves in the new political landscape. Regional stability in Latin America may hang in the balance as power transitions in this pivotal South American nation.