Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's YouTube channel disappears

(Patria) - The YouTube channel of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, which had 233,000 subscribers, has disappeared from the popular video-sharing platform, an AFP search revealed on Saturday.

"This page is unavailable. We're sorry for the inconvenience," reads the message where Maduro's channel used to be.

YouTube did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment. The government in Caracas has not yet commented on the issue, but the Telesur television network reported that the account was suspended on Friday.

"Without any justification, the YouTube channel was closed at a time when the United States was fully implementing hybrid warfare operations against Venezuela," Telesur stated on its website. "Although the political nature of the account closure has not been confirmed, it cannot be ruled out either," it added.

The United States, where YouTube is headquartered, has deployed eight ships to the Caribbean Sea in what it claims is an effort to combat drug trafficking.

Maduro has denounced the troop buildup as a "military threat" and ordered the deployment of military personnel to the borders, as well as three-day military exercises in the north of the country. He also called for civilian training.

Last year, TikTok blocked Maduro's broadcasts amid anti-government protests, a move the president condemned. At the same time, Maduro ordered the suspension of the X social network in Venezuela. In 2021, Maduro's Facebook account was blocked for a month for violating the social platform's policy on spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 virus.

Late last night, Maduro's YouTube channel was unavailable.