The reaction of Chinese social media to the U.S. special military operation against the Maduro regime is highly indicative. Opinions are clearly divided.
On the one hand, users share memes and ironic posts suggesting that the United States should deal with the dictatorship of the Chinese Communist Party in the same way. On the other hand, some openly congratulate President Trump on the success of the operation and argue that Chinese special forces could conduct a rapid blitzkrieg against Taiwan.
Reactions in Russian social networks are no less revealing. State propagandists accuse the United States of violating international law — a narrative that provokes ridicule and sarcasm from many commenters. At the same time, Z-patriots openly criticize Putin and the military leadership for launching a bloody meat grinder in Ukraine, which, in their view, has cost Russia its international reputation.
Notably, many Russian nationalists and people with right-wing or opposition views openly write that they would welcome a similar U.S. military operation against the Putin regime itself. These comments often reference weaknesses in Russian air defense and the recent successful Ukrainian special services operation against Russia’s strategic aviation.
What is striking is that in both China and Russia, a significant number of people — openly or implicitly — either hope for liberation from tyranny through American military assistance or openly admire the demonstration of U.S. military and technological superiority. Many hold it up as a benchmark and demand similar effectiveness from their own governments.
This digital reaction tells us a great deal about how power, legitimacy, and deterrence are perceived far beyond official propaganda narratives.
Anton Gromov
Political Scientist & Eurasian Security Expert | Chair at Astraea NGO | Focused on Russia–China–North Korea Relations & Information Warfare
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anton-s-gromov/