As with its September 2015 military deployment to save Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, Russia has now deployed a military advance force to Venezuela.

It's the latest evidence that the Trump administration is being outmaneuvered in its support for interim president Juan Guaido.

Because while Russia says its deployment of around 100 soldiers is about fulfilling technical military contracts, the reality is different. As the BBC notes, the Russian flight that transported the soldiers to Venezuela did so after stopping off in Syria. That stop off strongly suggests Russian special forces or intelligence specialists were picked up in Syria. It's also notable that the Russians removed a lot of heavy equipment from the aircraft.

All of this leads to a conclusion that Russia intends for these forces to remain in Venezuela for the foreseeable future. And that suggests Russia's real intent here is to send a warning to Washington that Russian interests and lives are now directly tied Maduro's survival. The hope is that this will deter the U.S. from escalating against Maduro's regime.

It's a clever gambit that reeks of Vladimir Putin's realist scheming.

The Russian leader appears to have sensed that the Trump administration lacks the resolve to do what is necessary to bring down Maduro's regime. Even as Venezuelans continue to suffer more severely, the momentum has shifted away from Guaido and towards Russia's ally, Maduro.

The Trump administration has got to wake up here. Juan Guaido is the legitimate constitutional leader of Venezuela and U.S. credibility is now staked on his accession to power. Russia cannot be allowed to so obviously contest U.S. influence in Latin America.

Trump should up the ante by cutting off Maduro's support line from Cuba and, if necessary, by tabling new sanctions against Russia at the United Nations.