CARACAS, Sept 21, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's YouTube channel -- which had 233,000 subscribers -- has disappeared from the popular video-sharing platform, an AFP search revealed Saturday.

"This page is unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience," says a message where Maduro's channel used to be.

YouTube did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

The government in Caracas has not yet commented on the issue, but television network Telesur reported that the account had been taken down Friday.

"Without any justification, the YouTube channel was closed at a time when the US was fully implementing hybrid warfare operations against Venezuela," Telesur said on its website.

"While the political nature of the account closure has not been confirmed, it cannot be ruled out either," the outlet said.

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

Maduro has denounced the buildup as a "military threat" and ordered the deployment of military personnel on the borders, as well as three days of military exercises this week in the north of the country. He also called for training for civilians.

Last year, TikTok blocked Maduro's broadcasts amid anti-government protests, a move the president denounced. At the same time, Maduro ordered the suspension of X in Venezuela.

In 2021, Maduro's Facebook account was blocked for a month for violating the social platform's policy on spreading misinformation on Covid-19.