US air strikes seriously damaged leading research institute in Venezuela

One of Venezuela’s leading institutes for graduate training appears to have sustained severe damage from US air strikes earlier this month. The air strikes were part of efforts to capture Venezuela’s then president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife.

Venezuela’s minister for science and technology, Gabriela Jiménez, claimed that the mathematics building at the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC) was ‘completely destroyed’ during the 3 January attacks and at least four other buildings sustained significant damage, including one housing its chemistry programme. She added that physics, nuclear research and ecology buildings were also damaged.