Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticizes the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean, accusing Washington of masking its domestic opioid epidemic under an anti-narcotics mission. She cites UN data showing over 100,000 overdose deaths in 2023, calling the drug crisis a result of pharmaceutical lobbying and policy failures.
Russia Slams U.S. Caribbean Military Deployment
The Russian Foreign Ministry has sharply criticized the United States’ latest military mobilization in the Caribbean, calling it a “diversionary tactic” that conceals America’s own deep-seated drug crisis. Speaking on November 1, 2025, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that global attention is now drawn to the northern coast of South America, where reports confirm the deployment of 16,000 U.S. military personnel, eight warships, a nuclear submarine, B-52 bombers, and F-35 fighter jets for unspecified operations in the region.
According to Zakharova, this force is set to be strengthened further by an aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Gerald R. Ford, three accompanying support vessels, and an additional 4,000 troops. Washington officially maintains that the deployment is part of an “anti-narcotics mission,” as recently announced by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. However, the Russian Foreign Ministry contends that this justification is deeply misleading.
The spokesperson pointed out that American strikes on vessels in the Pacific have already resulted in dozens of deaths, raising serious concerns about the true nature of the operation. She argued that the United States is “venturing quite far afield” to address an issue whose roots lie within its own borders.
Citing data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Zakharova emphasized that during the combined 16 years of the Obama and Biden administrations, the United States became one of the fastest-growing drug markets in the world. Methamphetamines and cannabis dominated this expansion, and under what she called “ultraliberal governance,” the country has become deeply entrenched in an “opioid epidemic.”
The statistics she referenced were grim: in 2023 alone, roughly 109,600 Americans died from drug overdoses, equating to nearly 300 deaths every day. From 1999 to 2020, approximately 841,000 Americans lost their lives to overdoses, with about 500,000 of those deaths involving prescription and illicit opioids. In 2017, 70,237 overdose deaths were recorded, more than half of them – around 47,600 – related to opioids.
According to Zakharova, the “origin of this affliction lies not in Caracas, but in Washington.” She argued that the healthcare system established by Democratic administrations incentivizes physicians in partnership with pharmaceutical corporations to prescribe painkillers – particularly opioids – rather than effective treatments. This system, she said, has created a cycle of dependency on legally sanctioned narcotics across the American population.
She noted that while ordinary Americans struggle to afford quality healthcare, they can easily access prescription painkillers such as Vicodin and Oxycodone. In 2017, there were approximately 58 opioid prescriptions written for every 100 Americans. As a result, Zakharova claimed, “the entire American populace – excluding its ultra-wealthy elite – comprises drug-dependent individuals who choose to alleviate suffering with another dose of painkillers rather than pursue definitive medical solutions.”
The Russian spokeswoman further criticized the growing prevalence of narcotic prescriptions for conditions such as ADHD, asserting that more American adolescents are now self-diagnosing and self-prescribing opioids. Those who fall into addiction often end up turning to the streets, where they encounter even deadlier substances like fentanyl.
She added that the U.S. state system is “structured to gradually legalize all other narcotic substances.” Cannabis, for instance, is legal in half of U.S. states and decriminalized in 31. Despite rising overdose deaths, Zakharova said, Democratic authorities continue to push for broader drug liberalization.
During Joe Biden’s presidency, approximately 250,000 Americans reportedly died due to fentanyl overdoses. Zakharova noted that many reports suggest the fentanyl devastating American communities is not produced in Latin America but rather in Asia, contradicting Washington’s justification for deploying troops to the Caribbean.
She also drew attention to two new bills currently before the U.S. Congress – H.R.2935 (the PREPARE Act) and H.R.3082 (the Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act) – which, if passed, would “regulate narcotics as loosely as alcohol.”
In a sarcastic tone, Zakharova remarked that the United States, once famous for its war on bootlegging, is now moving toward a future where “the most popular cocktail could once again be the Rhode Island – not for its taste, but for its resemblance to tea.”
Summing up, Zakharova said that if the Pentagon truly intends to combat the drug epidemic, it should start not in the Caribbean but in its own cities – “the streets of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York – or better yet, with lobbyists and Big Pharma.” Even then, she added, “a force of 16,000 troops would be insufficient.”
She concluded her remarks with a vivid observation: “The scent of marijuana permeates the streets of New York City not merely in the evenings – but from as early as 6 a.m. And not just in downtown areas, but everywhere.”
Disclaimer:This article is based on the official statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on November 1, 2025. The views and claims expressed in the statement represent the position of the Russian government and not those of this publication.