Synchronized Attacks by Sad and Slavish Local Lackeys

Last night the fourth national power outage in a week was explained by Jorge Rodríguez, Minister of Information and Communication, as the result of two “programed and synchronized” attacks against the National Electrical System.

“The Bolivarian Government addresses the people of Venezuela and the world, to denounce the vile and brutal perpetration of two programed and synchronized attacks against the National Electric System with the aim of obstructing, in a criminal and homicidal way, the enormous efforts the Revolutionary Government is doing to stabilize the electric service”, declared Rodríguez.

These new attacks, claims Rodríguez, come in addition to “electromagnetic pulse attacks and mechanical actions,” an arson attack, and a sniper attack with “high caliber bullets,” which according to the Minister have crippled Venezuela’s electric system since March 7.

Rodríguez assured, however, that the government will “give back to the people” its right to accesses to electricity: “We will repair and recover the equipment savagely damaged by agents of the northern supremacist Empire and its sad and slavish [genuflexos] local lackeys.”  

New Blackout, New Sabotage (updated with yet another sabotage!)

A new national blackout yesterday at 1:20 pm left most of the country without electricity for several hours.

Midafternoon, Communications and Information Minister, Jorge Rodríguez claimed that the hydroelectric Guri dam had been attacked again, “the [electric] generation of the hydroelectric central Simón Bolívar at Guri was directly attacked,” he said.

However, also said Minister Rodríguez, different from the “attack” of March 7, this time the government was able to quickly recover: “It took us 5 or 6 days to recuperate the electric system from the first attack carried out by the right, today we have recovered within hours. (…) We had the capacity to rapidly respond and [electricity] has been restored completely.”

The power, in fact, was restored progressively in some regions during the afternoon, only to collapse again from 9:45 pm on.

(Update)

This morning, hours after the power went out again last night at 9:45, Minister Jorge Rodríguez claimed that the electric system had suffered a second attack. Yesterday the National Electric System, he said, “suffered two devious terrorist attacks by the hands of the violent [people] who have made the sowing of distress among the population their instrument to attain their destabilizing objectives.”

The first event (the blackout at 1:29 pm,) explained Rodríguez, had similar characteristics to the blackout of March 7, implying that again this time a cyberattack or a magnetic attack has been carried out. This time, however, the government had everything under control and in a few hours, according to Rodríguez, the distribution system was behaving in a “harmonious and robust” manner.

But at 9:47pm a more conventional sabotage was carried out to produce the second blackout: “criminal hands,” explained Rodríguez, “started a huge fire in the transition patio of Guri.”

The minister did not explain how the “criminal hands” were able to start a huge fire inside a secure installation, but he did describe the enemy in detail:

“An event of this nature has never before happened in the history of the Venezuelan Electric System, and it is evidence of the lack of limits of these terrorists, helped by the warmongering leadership that conform the military, financial, and media fabric of the supremacists in power today in the United States of America, and who aspire to rule the world.”

Rodríguez ended his declarations predicting victory: “We will defeat this electric war with the immense strength that, as a people, we have accumulated in our struggle against vulgar empires and their local lackeys.”  

Sabotage in Numbers

Venezuela’s leading news outlet Efecto Cocuyo, has a count of the times the Minister of Electric Energy, General Luis Motta Domínguez, has claimed the Venezuelan electric system has been the target of acts of sabotage since he took office in August 2015.

Looking back at Motta Dominguez’ Twitter timeline (@LMOTTAD), Efecto Cocuyo finds that the minister mentioned “sabotage” 66 times, “attacks” 31 times, and “induced event” once. Aggregating the mentions that correspond to the same event, and correlating with its own news reports, Efecto Cocuyo says that nine times the minister claimed sabotage was the cause behind blackouts, two more blackouts were “induced events,” and a third was caused by a rat.

Infographics of an Electric Attack

Venezuelan government agencies and media regularly put out what they call “infrografías” of events. These are then spread via social media. Here is a selection of a few explaining the recent “electric sabotage.”

The first is by the DGCIM, Dirección General de Contrainteligencia Militar, the Armed Forces counterintelligence branch (interesting logo in the bottom left corner.) On the right hand is what so far the government has presented as evidence of the attack: Twitter posts by Mike Pompeo, Marco Rubio and Juan Guaidó, which, according to the government, can be read as “self-implications” in the attacks. Also, note the big magnet used for the “electromagnetic” attack.

By Telesur. Doesn’t add much to the previous one.

Here is a poster for an event organized by Ministry of Culture and by Misión Cultura Venezuela. “Trump turns off the lights, Maduro turns them on.”

Misión Verdad, a government media outlet, explains that the software used in the control center of Guri hydroelectric plant was created by the Canadian company ABB, which “no longer works in Venezuela.” According to Misión Verdad, a malware “drove this control system crazy.”

By the Ministry for Electric Energy and CORPOELEC, the government electric company. This is an old infographic from before the recent blackout; A chronology of 15 sabotage events against Zulia’s electric system.

   

Jesuit Masons: Venezuela is under the control of the illuminati

Impossible to translate the whole of this piece by Alejandro Álvarez Osuna published today in Aporrea. A frantic combination of almost every conceivable conspiracy cabal, ancient and new, now fighting an apocalyptic war in Venezuela.

A prolific writer, Álvarez Osuna, has published 783 articles in Aporrea. He also writes a blog, which unfortunately has not been updated since 2013.

Here the full article in Spanish:

Guerra entre masones jesuitas de izquierdas y de derechas internacionales: Venezuela bajo el poder del libro azul de los iluminati.
Alejandro Álvarez Osuna - www.aporrea.org
16/03/19 - www.aporrea.org/internacionales/a277058.html

Rama judeo masónica jesuita, categoría pura que "delibera" la "liberación" para Venezuela. Los constructores de la nueva "ética democrática", el libro azul con los detalles que solo conocen los presidentes, logia de los trece. ¿"Moral" guía espiritual nacional? ¿La guerra de los dioses en el paraíso terrenal? Tema de las "religiones políticas", teología-logias en organizaciones top secret que causa aversión, terrorismo emocional, miedo, por su lucha espiritual transhumanista "moral" del mal, tecnológica de "poderes"; la "izquierda" unida a la "derecha", fin de las ideologías humanistas, controlados por J. Soros entre otros financistas, genetistas ingenieros constructores internacionales, digitales algoritmos fundamentales encriptados mutantes para la doble negación consecuente afirmación del problema, lógica de predicados, reacción cibernética guerra subatómica en cadena y, los mismos afectado esclavizados demandando la solución a favor de toda teoría del verdadero conocimiento secreto enigma iluminado que logran imponer encriptado; electromagnética violencia vía satélite cibernético para la afirmación del caos en orden oscuro mundial, visible controlador genético, linajes de sangre de las nueve familias, proyecto laser control ilusión mental, psicología escuadra, compas, y orden templario en regla, cruz, huesos y calaveras al dominio, descontrol físico, tecne política cuántica para la transformación liberal en cómoda calidad de vida élite, con el pueblo esclavo colonizado neo-comunista, ¿DDHH, en democracia ética libertad en Venezuela? Maduro sale por santo y Guaidó entra por masón, Inquisición "democrática", pragmatismo de la construcción eclética como ilusión, fabrica de la realidad que no se vive para siempre, al menos los comunes, raza, etnia aborigen, lo que hagas en la vida será eco para la eternidad: control de remota visión mental programado, inteligibilidad mental y razón pura ininteligible, metafísica de la guerra para la secesión en el Caribe, oro combustible financista neo masónico liberal, santos inocentes de la colonia comunista vs liberales demócratas élite capitalistas ¿Venezuela "religioso" terrorismo desestructurado moral cayéndose a mentiras entre todos por diferentes o iguales dogmas que dividen desestructurando a la institucionalidad-sociedad? Terrorismo "moral", desacreditando religiones haarp y hologramas proyecto del mal tiempo en los cielos para el desvarío social paranormal clamando seguridad nacional, ley patriota infiltrada secta "religión política", ritual sacrificio espiritual, apostasía, lujuria inquisidora "democracia" genocida institucional …nueva categoría de sistema político de gobierno con sus oposiciones, liberal colonial comunismo. "libertad democrática". Toda filosofía, filologia del lenguaje. Inquisición a la familia, trabajadores, etnias, ecosistemas, campesinos, movimientos todos suprimidos para la secesión nacional a través de la diáspora, migración revelada rebelión de desplazados, ideología credo único religioso de la guerra espiritual impuesta internacional para la "liberación nacional" Ética de la religión en los límites de la razón política , "democracia humanitaria", control a través del tiempo, racionamiento de la vida, violación ddhh, esclavitud social, material mental, espiritual, colonización alienígena doctrina masónica, jesuita "sabiduría" mental fe esperanzadora de la elite oscura encubierta.. ¿Alimentando o anulando el poder de la esperanza de la fe como fuerza espiritual-material, facciones, clanes de sectas políticas enganchadas, fanatismo dogmatico para, y de la guerra, sacrificio ritual ofrecido a los "santos dioses" esclavismo emocional social? ¿Liberación nacional de la doctrina dogma de la apostasía; cómo, qué, por quién, y para qué? Objetivo: combustible de viajeros del tiempo, secesión territorial, migración, daño colateral insípida energía inhumana mental, holocausto control espiritual matando pueblos, "negocio ético democrático"... moral libertaria paraíso del buen vivir, amor "socialista" supremo ancestral del buen ladrón negocio opositor diálogo con el desgobierno Inteligencia artificial, servicio financista del pago fácil, oscurantismo contrato colectivo mercenario cibernético eléctrico petrolero, oro coltán, uranio...trans-humanismo radioactivo, fines transnacionales complejo industrial militar espacial ovni en Venezuela encubierto, control mental digital nacional orden de sectas políticas elites de "clanes políticos" extraterrestres apoderados del país, secuestrando a Guaidó-Maduro dentro de su círculo, esfera política, sinusoide helicoidal gabinete, el hombre de Vitrubio es la clave en re mayor delta equis de la santa invasión ¿Abolicionistas o segregacionistas: nuevo orden global, extracción a través de la inteligencia artificial? Fuerzas especiales del bien nacional vs oscuridad radioactiva, lluvia cósmica, pensamiento cuántico extrovertido, poder popular sin competencia ciencia industrial, ¿soberano independiente nacional? la rebelión de las rebeliones reveladas suprasensibles valor absoluto vs razón pura en acción competente permanente, asumido poder moral, ejecutivo estado humanista democrático espiritual… sin la santa comunión madura contra las flores oscuras opio que guarda el mal… Guerra entre masones jesuitas de izquierdas y de derechas internacionales: Venezuela bajo el poder del libro azul de los iluminati. Venezuela sintonía satelital infernal, sin radio aficionados, velas ni radio transistores, servicios públicos colapsados, invasión factorizada radical que empieza por el apoderamiento espiritual; el buen ladrón bajo control mental, expoliación del pueblo santo, la falsa espiritualidad como oscuro panorama hecho deseo sangriento, la batalla de Caracas, semana santa devocionaria invasión, algoritmo trans-humanista, falsa espiritualidad, sacrilegios de la "democracia masónica humanista" terrorismo "moral" ambidiestra políticas de lujurias, injuria nacional internacional. Guerra entre masones jesuitas de izquierdas y de derechas: Venezuela bajo el poder del libro azul de los iluminati ¿Dónde está el movimiento de santos soldados de franela popular contra el radicalismo de todo mal? movimientos populares a la planificada industrial, moral del trabajo democrático ético creativo colectivo autónomo soberano como competente del pueblo empoderado, poder popular, ¿echándole la culpa siempre a los demás? la diferencia entre sectas y religiones, logias y clanes, filosofías y dogmas, políticas espirituales y teologías y filosofías ancestrales, mitos y leyendas la sabiduría hecha filosofía oracular contra el análisis de todo mal, Diseño del mundo por nuevas concepciones: Guaidó igual a Maduro, teatro de "lideres" multinacionales "viajeros del tiempo" entre cuerdas flojas del hueco negro, gate stars, gusanos estelares, aceleración cuántica material de partículas vibratorias, principio de identidad perdida, red universal, tercero excluido, Venezuela economía radiactiva, incertidumbre paranormal desacreditando religiones a través del fenómeno haarp hecha visiones del sentido extraterrestre. Todo es programa mental, ilusión y matrix multidimensional, filosofía filología, semántica hermenéutica del lenguaje. Usurpación de los milagros pródigos de los maestros benditos ascendidos, un tributo para Ala al lado de Jehová, el Talmud judaico esperando al mesías, libro azul y el libro rojo junto al verde para salvar a través del alimento de la justicia de los dioses, el reino de los hombres para la paz creativa en libertad, ¿justicia ética en democracia de otro tiempo, espacio-mundo masonico? Todo se aprende por la experiencia, menos los conocimientos a priori que estamos facultados para intuir de manera aperceptiva especial, no es brujería es sensibilidad de la mente hecha corazón, la figura apriorística para el conocimiento de la razón pura o impura a posteriori, ley de fe en vida fundamental evolución mundial, trasmutando, evolucionando, mutando genes, deslastrando corruptelas democráticas… La democracia muta para bien o mal de la humanidad que le engendra según su energía atómica, masa referéndum, energía y velocidad de la luz, elecciones justas por libres plurales verdades para la justicia universal: Venezuela termodinámica de la moral política física atómica medicinal. Religión como interpretación extremista de facciones, clan personal, lujuria ambición material, democrática nacional internacional. Sin hueco negro, ni presos de consciencias, la cara oculta de la luna, el loco se tira de la torre, el sol sale de la contracción espacial, el emperador con el papa, mancha en el sol, aceleración igual a masa por velocidad de luz, misión imposible cumplida, derivada integral ecuación factorizada, conjugada inversa, integral delta x interviniendo, extrayendo dos veces radical número imaginario, conjunto de números racionales, satélite para la invasión por el oro petróleo y coltán con diamantes, la familia elite iluminati, justicia alienígena política ancestral, imperio de los sentidos, la falange masónica, secreto encriptado dentro de un enigma, misterioso mensajero críptico, la real araña tejiendo su red algorítmica, democracia monárquica, maduro-guaidó atrapados en la real justicia social, fundamental verdad para la paz en libertad social, pensamiento razón, teología política, entendimiento social y economía industrial con práctica política ética ciencia.. Misericordia, amor, servicio, oración, penas a la devoción, pensamiento complejo a la superación de la política-religión, dogma estatuto para la dialéctica superadora de la crisis y sus contradicciones tiempo-espaciales. Ante la radicalización arconte-inhuma de las "derechas e izquierdas" "democráticas" por perpetuarse a costa de vida de los pueblos, como "razas elegidas por sectas" personales trans-humanistas burlando la verdad de la fe en esperanza con trabajo prospero al progreso, sin perjudicar a estados religionarios de terceros. La guerra como ritual hereje apostata desenfreno diezmando pueblos. Etnocidios, eticidios, ecocidios, magnicidios, pueblicidios y democráticidios… ¿Impuesto proyecto independentista soberano nacional? Guerra entre masones jesuitas de izquierdas y de derechas internacionales: Venezuela bajo el poder del libro azul de los iluminati. Teologías de la liberación, fuerzas especiales, contra inteligencia espacial, guerra de las galaxias por la silente factorizada híbrida fascista tropical guerra en el Caribe frio por caliente oro mineral estratégico dominio mental mundial, la droga arquitectura alienígena, incorporado chips, ingeniería genética para perder la humanidad, guerra inducida para Trump ganar las elecciones 1020, financia hacia la secesión gran Colombia rica minería expoliada por las flores ancestrales de la teología del mal Esclavos hambrientos de la guerra fanática, fratricida "democracia" de la "derecha y la izquierda" vendidas a Satán. Creídos y no sabidos por y para el dominio del Poder en sí y para sí mismos privilegios, violando ddhh familias, suprimiendo desapareciendo, diezmando los pueblos sin distinción alguna… hoy es necesario definir nuevos paradigmas sujetándolos a meritos éticos en cuanto a ddhh y su ejemplar práctica moral en la era del trans-humanismo… porque la guerra es asíntota continua portal integrado gate stars en ecuación diferencial derivada social y no solo materialismo dialéctico marxista o neoliberalismo híbrido corrupta maldad como método crítico de análisis social, sino espiritual cualidad humana real justicia social como luz de amor interestelar. Contraria a la fascista secta "religión política" encubiertas intenciones funestas, el redondo negocio "democrático" encriptado trasgrediendo al pueblo; soberanía de la sangre del oro diamante, petróleo, coltán uranio enriquecido pranes "demócratas" paren de contar, interés pactado organismos financieros internacional espionaje pago transnacional mercenarios privados dizque por la "justicia social". El átomo desordenado, pensamiento cuántico desvirtuado en "diplomacia compleja militarista pensamiento dogmatico, solo élite del estado profundo al que hay que preservar en acuerdo comercial de la "democracia para la justicia de paz" entre sus esferas personales privilegios, portales gusanos tele-trasportación en tráfico de "justicia" de clases para la guerra forzada entre los soberanos pueblos. ¿Masones y cristianos jesuitas constructores mundiales libertarios…? El espectáculo mayormente esperado mundial, ¿Latinoamérica tercera guerra sectorizada subatómica mundial, bomba atómica uranio pesado radiactivo, oro financista? mafias c.a "socialista democracia oposición vendida " trasnacional diplomacia proteccionistas acuerdos comerciales del oro gas, petrolero coltán diamante arco minero, superávit potencias colonialistas carrera espacial tercera guerra mundial trópico Caribe, ruta caliente del oro por la ceda, Yuan, Euro Petro, Rublo, Dólar, Rupia, Soberano fascismo sin Bolívar ni referéndum democrático real solución sin estafar por el "socialismo-demócrata" financiero transnacional comercial "democracia" del oro internacional matando de hambre que enferma familias del continente. Desintegrando la energía del átomo del análisis crítico, dogmatizando la educación, negando ciencias métodos y filosofías, viajando por las sectas en puentes gusanos del tiempo, la unión entre los mundos paralelos de gobiernos. La mentira fabulada mundial se aproxima bacteriológica caja de peste que mutila. Islam, judaísmo y santería con mormones infiltrados para solo obtener la "Democracia" del oro material ovni que se alimenta de la sangre del pueblo: mafias mito del dorado saqueado otra vez, santo proyecto ahorro calavera y hueso soberano desfalcado La "democracia del oro material estratégico combustible para la colonia interestelar como fondo monetario nacional, banco mundial a través de las "democracias" del hambre, captación ilusa "ahorro" fiduciario hipotecario deudor para la guerra atómica intervención presente en ejecución. No importan las vidas de los pueblos, lo que realmente importa es absorberle, anular su fuerza espiritual, nutrir el mal ¿ la patria es el hombre con la mujer los niños, toda la institución republicana empezando por la democrática familia? ¿el espíritu moral humanista ideal nacional? o ¿la mente "política" alienígena genocida "ética comercial guerra forzada internacionalista"? Ahorrando con oro "democrático" procedente de cómo, qué y cuál relación jurídica de modos relación y forma de producción, red trama productiva de oro, legitimo capital nacional exportación beneficio trasnacional con sus propias reglas "soberanas", razón de justicia social o de clase, ecuación de estado capital financiero matrix neo orden mundial, "política económica" de Estado mayor conjunto por sus propios privilegios "honor e ideología" el algoritmo divisa enigma encriptado a desencintar, desvirtuado código binario ancestral, para financiar economías políticas, estafas deudoras imperiales extractivistas, expoliadoras ecocidas, etnocidas arco minero entre otros pactos "diplomáticos comerciales, protectorados" traiciones de Estado entreguistas coloniales, auspiciando guerras forzadas, posesiones de la bomba atómica latinoamericana o la justicia moral social democracia ética, desarrollo económico y social mediante revolución industrial educación crítica política humanista para la paz nacional, contrario al "paraíso monetario" encriptado cuento ilusionista del mitómano dorado, algoritmo fundamentalista, conductismo de la religión política fondo monetarista dinero inorgánico nacional" democracia del oro" esclavista cuento chino ruso u occidental colonial, ideológico doctrinario dogma supersticioso, bloqueo mental espiritual, subdesarrollo fascismo auto-impuesto alienante genocida leso terrenal. El próximo cuento después del fracaso coño túnel del tiempo, inversión ahorro, dinero inorgánico, estafa del fondo monetario nacional para pagar lo que se roban reconvertido en cuanto mitómano dorado popular. Guerra entre masones jesuitas de izquierdas y de derechas internacionales: Venezuela bajo el poder del libro azul de los iluminati.

Basic and Strategic Services Defense Command

The creation of a new military initiative has been revealed by Nicolás Maduro: the Comando para la Defensa de los Servicios Básicos y Estratégicos del Estado.

“This will be a new structure of our National Bolivarian Armed Forces which is motivated by this electric imperialist attack and will reinforce and ensure all our public services,” said Maduro.

The new Command will be formed by a “shock force” in charge of guarding basic services “suppliers and controllers,” a second force will deal with “physical and cyber security” of facilities, and a third group “will be deployed for maintenance.” Maduro gave no further details of who will lead this new Command and where it will fit within stablished military structures of the armed forces.

Maduro also said that he felt the need to link the CLAPs –the  government’s food program, -and  the Communal Councils “to the local military units in each sector.”

On recent reports of looting in several states, Maduro said that they were the work of “armed groups of the fascist right,” and asked the government armed civilian groups known as colectivos to be ready to “defend peace.” But he also warned the pro-government groups that the “fascist right” might be trying to bribe them: “Beware colectivos! Dollars are being moved around.”

Russia backs Venezuelan government conspiracy theory

Russia, invited by the Venezuelan government to be part of a presidential commission to investigate the recent blackout, has expressed full support for Maduro’s government version that Venezuela was the target of cyber and magnetic attacks against its power grid.

María Zajárova, spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Relations Ministry declared: “According to the country’s legitimate government, headed by president Maduro, and also based on information from other trustworthy sources, Venezuela’s electric-energy sector has suffer an attack from outside the country.”

Zajárova, like Maduro, has no doubts as to who is behind the attacks, as she accused the United States government of supplying weapons to the opposition through hired smugglers and drug traffickers.

Maduro announces Presidential Commission

“I will ask for the support of Russia, Cuba, China, and Iran, [for this] presidential commission to [investigate] the cyberattack,” declared Nicolás Maduro yesterday. The commission will be headed by his vice-resident, Delcy Rodríguez. Attorney General, Tarek William Saab will also be part of the commission.

Maduro, however, already knows the results of the investigations before the Commission. He reported that the “cyberattack against Guri” was launched from the cities of Houston and Chicago. He insisted that the attack has been proven beyond doubt and that his government has the evidence: “We already have the evidence of who did it and how he did it, [this evidence] shows that the blackout came from the United States.

Guaidó Investigated

The Venezuelan government is not about to respond to this unprecedented act of imperial aggression with a counterattack against the United States. It will however continue to use its conspiracy theory to crack internal dissent.

Maduro’s attorney general, Tarek William Saab, said his office is opening an investigation against Juan Guaidó for his “participation in the attack”. Saab will ask the courts to forbid Guaidó from leaving the country and to freeze his bank accounts.  

The Government Conspiracy Theory to Silence Internal Critics: Luis Carlos Díaz

When authoritarian regimes claim they are under attack by powerful external enemies, those enemies usually have nothing to fear; instead, internal critics of the regime are the real target of conspiracy theories.

Leading journalist and human rights activist Luis Carlos Díaz was reported missing by his wife Naki Soto, also journalist and writer, at 5:30 pm Monday. “I lost contact with Luis Carlos at 5:30 in the afternoon, when he told me that he would be working all night at Union Radio, from 10:00pm to 5:00,” first informed Naki Soto via Twitter (@Naky) yesterday. All night the top trend in Venezuela’s social networks has been #DóndeEstáLuisCarlos.

On March 8, Diosdado Cabello had published a video showing Luis Carlos Díaz explaining what people should do in the case of a black out. The caption of the video reads “Luis Carlos Díaz. Fascistoid ‘influencer’ 02/27/2019.” The Twitter post (@ConElMazoDando) by which the video was published reads “This is who de local right and the gringa right prepared what they called ‘operation blackout’ which aims to collapse the country by sabotaging the generation operations center of the National Electric System, of which most public services depend.”

The last Twitter post by Luis Carlos Díaz (@LuisCarlos) cast doubt over the government’s explanations about the blackout: “They no longer say it was one attack. Not even two attacks. No. The new count is five (5) consecutive attacks against the electric system, according to government officials. This is the hyperinflation of excuses.”

Tuesday early morning director of Efecto Cocuyo, Luz Mely Reyes (@LuzMelyReyes) reported that Luis Carlos Díaz is in the hands of the SEBIN, political police. She also reported that his residence had been raided by the police.

Indeed, as Luis Carlos Díaz commented in his last Twitter post, the government is now claiming there have been at least 5 attacks against the electric system since Thursday.

Update (03/13/2019)

Journalist Luis Carlos Díaz was released late night of March 12. He has been conditionally released pending his trial and will have to report to court every 8 days. He may not leave the country nor declare to media about the case. He is being accused of “instigation to commit crimes.”             

Electric Sabotage, Again. Updated

As so many times before the government claims that the blackout that has hit most of the country since yesterday, and is now more than 15 hours long, is the work of wreckers and saboteurs.

The president of Venezuela’s energy corporation, Corpoelec, Major General Luis Motta Domínguez, was the first government official to claim via Twitter (@CORPOELECinfo), that the hydroelectric plant at Guri, which supplies most of the country’s electricity, had been sabotaged “…this is part of an electric war against the State ¿We won’t allow it! We are working on the recovery of the system.” Later, Nicolas Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) posted: “The electric war we have been announcing and which is directed by United States’ imperialism against our people will be defeated. No one and nothing will defeat the people of Bolivar and Chávez. Maximum unity of patriots!”

Update (03/09/2019)

Power is intermittently returning to some areas of Caracas. Vice-president of Communication, Tourism and Culture, Jorge Rodríguez, has given a few more details of the government’s version of events. He said that this “is the most brutal aggression the Venezuelan people have been subjected to in 200 years.”

“[the attacks] were against the automated regulated system of Guri hydroelectric plant, which provides 80% of the electric energy of the country. (…) The attack altered the software which regulates the generators of the [Guri] Central, which automatically go off as a security measure.”

Rodríguez accused US Senator Marco Rubio of being behind this “cybernetic attack”. His evidence is that Senator Rubio wrote on Twitter (@marcorubio) a little after the blackout started that the main airport in Venezuela was also without energy and that the generators had failed.

But, argued Rodríguez, the “backup generators” to which, according to him Rubio referred to, are not those at the airport but those at the hydroelectric station, “How did Marco Rubio know only minutes after [the blackout] that the backup generators had failed? At that moment, nobody knew that yet.”

Using such hard evidence, Rodríguez said that the Venezuelan government will denounce the “attack” in “International instances.” “This was an attack with a political purpose,” said Rodríguez.

Update 03/10/2019

Addressing his followers yesterday in front of the Miraflores palace, Nicolás Maduro said Venezuela’s electric system has suffered at least four different attacks in the past two days: two “cybernetic” attacks, one “electromagnetic”, and a more conventional arson attack against an electric substation in the south of the country.

After the first “cybernetic” attack on Thursday afternoon, said Maduro, “We started to maneuver, and at 7:00pm the process was leading to a recovery, then, suddenly, we suffered an international cybernetic attack against the brain of the electric system, and the recovery collapsed. (…) The first thing we were able to reconnect was the East of the country: Bolívar, Anzoátegui, Monagas, and then we made it up to parts of Caracas. After all that, when we were starting to reconnect [the system] came a new attack. At that time we discovered they were launching latest generation scientific attacks, our experts call them electromagnetic attacks against transmission lines, in order to interrupt the process. (…) This morning, we had reconnected 70% of the country, when at noon there came another cybernetic attack, and this disturbed the system. The people must be aware of who is sabotaging the system.”

Maduro argued that only the United States has the technology for these “Latest Generation Scientific” attacks. “This will be known,” he claimed, “The truth is written in our destiny!”

However, Maduro also claimed that there are many internal saboteurs in the electric industry, “directed from abroad by imperialism,” but they will soon be found and punished. “I ask you for understanding. Yesterday we were able to move forward, but we are facing the power of North American imperialism and of its internal puppets,” he ended his speech.

(See reports by Efecto Cocuyo and Aporrea)

Opposition Conspiracy Theories?

“Chavismo thrives in chaos.” No sources on this yet, only a couple of posts in Twitter and hearsay: The government is ultimately responsible for the blackout, but not because of its mismanagement of the electric system, but because it purposely “turned off the lights.” The motive for this would be to terrorize the population through a macabre social control experiment.

Update 03/11/2019

The Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, has reaffirmed the government’s version: “the attack against the electric system is causing harm that borders on the massive violation of human rights, among these the rights of people to water and health care. (…) We have received instructions from the Commander in Chief of State [Maduro] to continue our deployment of all the National Bolivarian Armed Forces, which have occupied al electric stations and substations in order to guarantee the supply and guard the system from any other attack that could undermine the spirit of the people,” he declared.

Conspiracy Theories?

As often stated, this blog is not about debunking conspiracy theories but only monitoring them. However, here are some of the plausible explanations for what happened.

For a roundup of what independent experts are saying read this post by Rodrigo Linares in Caracas Chronicles.

For what anonymous employees of CORPOELEC are saying read this report by María Victoria Fermín Kancev in Efecto Cocuyo.

I copy here the excellent Twitter line by reporter Anatoly Kurmanaev (@AKurmanaev), who was recently near Gury:

I went to the heart of Venezuela’s transmission system in Guarico to try to find out what’s going on with the grid. Here’s why partial blackouts are unfortunately likely to persist for a while. I sincerely hope I’m wrong.

This is Venezuela’s main power distribution hub, the San Geronimo B substation outside Valle de la Pascua on Sunday. It was shut since Thursday. A cow roamed among transformers. No buzz from current. Workers said most of them were sent home indefinitely Friday.

San Geronimo B is the only path for high-voltage (765 KV) supplies from Guri to 80% of Venezuelan population (Caracas, Central & Western Venezuela).

The nearby San Geronimo A back up substation transmits much weaker 400 current from Macagua hydro plant near Guri to Caracas vía Santa Teresa. It’s been working on & off last 2 days. This, together with some limited thermal, is what’s been keeping intermittent light in Caracas.

Corpoelec current, former employees & power expert @SoyJoseAguilar said this is unsustainable. The 400 KV line is too weak.

Caracas outgrew is capacity already in early 80s when it launched Metro.

Is it possible to provide stable supply to the country without San Geronimo B? “Impossible,” said @SoyJoseAguilar

The La Horqueta substation in Villa de Cura, which sends Guri’s power to Valencia and onwards west via San Geronimo was also down Sunday. This is very bad news for Western Venezuela. They are last in line.

San Geronimo B is not working because it’s not getting sufficient (if any) current from Guri. That’s the scariest part. It provides evidence that the government is far from successfully restarting its turbines.

What caused the Guri failure? Corpoelec union leader Ali Briceño said it was brush fire under the 765 KV trunkline which caused a surge in the system and caused Guri to shut down. There are no skilled operators left there to restart it.

It did happen before. No one is cutting grass or maintaining fire breaks under the trunkline.

Briceno’s theory is “possible but not probably,” said one of the people who built that trunkline. Fire would’ve had to occur in a relatively small stretch, between Guri & the first 765 KV substation, Malena, for that to happen.

There are also three parallel 765 KV lines running at a distance from each other. Unlikely the fire would’ve affected them all.

Most people I talked to say the problem had to occur inside Guri’s turbines themselves. And that’s a scary thought. If they are damaged, they will be very hard to replace or repair. No money or skilled people.

One Corpoelec manager said after the blackout a Guri operator told him “the turbines are failing,” before hanging up. He hasn’t been able to reach anyone there since. Sebin is a constant menace.

And without Guri, it’s Mad Max.

The government’s failure to present a coherent explanation is only raising my fears that something really bad has happened. First it was industrial sabotage, then it was cyber attack.

Government has already cancelled classes Monday and @vladimirpadrino said “there’s still a lot to do” Sunday. These are not signs of imminent solution to this 

nightmare.