Russia’s ambassador to Caracas, Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov, on Sunday said that he believes Venezuela’s deposed socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro was “betrayed,” allowing U.S. forces to capture him and his wife, Cilia Flores.

According to the diplomat, the capture of the Venezuelan dictator was allegedly possible thanks to negligence and the “collaboration” of Venezuelan officials with U.S. intelligence. The ambassador further claimed that Russia “knows the names of these betrayers who have fled Venezuela.”

The Russian news outlet Tass reported that Melik-Bagdasarov levied the claims during an interview with the local television network Rossiya 24. During the interview, the diplomat asserted that Maduro could have been betrayed by Venezuelan law enforcement and the “political elite,” but did not disclose any names.

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“As for betrayal, it was probably betrayal, it was probably indecisiveness, and, surely, sheer negligence of office duties,” Melik-Bagdasarov said during the interview.

“Otherwise, if this was not the case and everything had functioned as usual, the Venezuelans would have had every opportunity to at least inflict some damage on the enemy, both in terms of manpower and weaponry,” he continued. “The Americans managed to leave safe and sound, with minor injuries and minor damage.”

“Naturally, many of the local law enforcement officers did not do what they could do. If what had been going on here long before this happened could be called betrayal, naturally, it was betrayal. And we know the names of these betrayers who have fled Venezuela, who had been working systemically for the American intelligence,” Melik-Bagdasarov asserted during another part of the interview, according to Tass.

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U.S. military forces carried out a law enforcement operation in Caracas on January 3 that led to the successful capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their compound inside Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex.

No Americans were killed and minimal damage was taken in the operation. The Venezuelan socialist regime claims that U.S. forces killed “between 100 and 120” and left a similar number wounded during the operation. Exact casualty numbers have not been disclosed by the regime on the grounds that the damage cannot be accurately quantified because the remains were too damaged.

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Cuba’s communist regime confirmed that 32 of its state security agents died protecting Maduro during the operation — confirming decades of speculation about the Cuban regime’s military influence and presence in Venezuela and numerous rumors indicating that Maduro did not trust his own people with his personal security.

Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are presently at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, awaiting trial on multiple narco-terrorism charges. Melik-Bagdasarov questioned the “trumped up” charges against Maduro and, according to him, the socialist dictator will one day return to Venezuela.

“I am sure that the people who go to these rallies, demonstrations [in support of Maduro], believe that this is possible. It seems to me that this is possible,” Melik-Bagdasarov said.

“It’s obvious that President Maduro is not guilty of what he is accused of, which is why the people believe. The people believe that justice will prevail, while where it will come from: whether from a decision of American justice, or as a political decision, or a decision from above – this is only the form,” he continued.

The Russian ambassador further claimed during the interview with Rossiya 24 that Venezuelan authorities allegedly did not issue orders to counter U.S. forces during the military operation in Caracas.

“Electronic systems and weaponry are controlled by military personnel. They don’t fire without orders. That means no commands were issued,” he reportedly claimed.

“There was tremendous tension here [in Venezuela] throughout October and November. Everyone was waiting for something to happen with the boats sinking and strikes carried out. Any military structure accumulates fatigue. When Christmas arrived, (…) there was a false sense of being off the hook. But that was not the case,” Melik-Bagdasarov said.

For years, Russia provided the Venezuelan socialist regime with military equipment, including Igla missile launcher systems. Melik-Bagdasarov asserted that Venezuelan officials used the Igla systems but noted that, “in addition to having an automatic weapon in your hands, you must be able to use it.” The ambassador said during the interview that Venezuelan forces allegedly lacked the required training for its operation and suggested that they “did not possess sufficient skills.” According to the diplomat, Venezuela fired at least two such Igla missile launchers during the operation — but both failed to hit its targets.

“They have not yet reached the point where artificial intelligence controls air defense, so the human factor is crucial,” he argued with regards to Venezuela’s human-operated air defense systems, which he said remained “idle” during the U.S. operation.

“The equipment simply wasn’t ready for full-scale use, and the enemy’s overwhelming technological superiority made it virtually impossible to use,” the Russian diplomat emphasized. “As for air defense, that’s only part of the defense, and it would probably be short-sighted to rely solely on these forces. There are a number of other weapons that our Bolivarian friends possess. Why this was not done is rather a question to be addressed to the military.”

Last week, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López claimed that the United States allegedly tested “unknown weapons” during the operation and accused the U.S. of “bombing” Venezuela with the assistance of “artificial intelligence of the highest level.”

Padrino López, a man actively wanted by U.S. authorities on drug trafficking charges, issued the claim referring to statements issued by President Donald Trump during his January 21 speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

“Two weeks ago, they saw weapons that nobody ever heard of. They weren’t able to fire one shot at us. They said, ‘What happened?’ Everything was discombobulated. They said, ‘We’ve got them in our sights. Press the trigger.’ And nothing happened. No anti-aircraft missiles went up,” President Trump said.

“There was one that went up about 30 feet and crashed down, right next to the people that sent it. They said, ‘What the hell is going on those?’” he continued. “Those defensive systems were made by Russia and by China. So, they’re going to go back to the drawing boards, I guess.”

Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.