Venezuela: Resistance or disintegration?

[angelburst29]

Private military contractors who do secret missions for Russia flew into Venezuela in the past few days to beef up security for President Nicolas Maduro in the face of U.S.-backed opposition protests, according to two people close to them.

January 25, 2019 - Exclusive: Kremlin-linked Contractors help guard Venezuela's Maduro - sources
Exclusive: Kremlin-linked contractors help guard Venezuela's Maduro - sources | Reuters

FILE PHOTO: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro reacts with National Electoral Council (CNE) President Tibisay Lucena during a ceremony to mark the opening of the judicial year at the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), in Caracas, Venezuela, January 24, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo

A third source close to the Russian contractors also told Reuters there was a contingent of them in Venezuela, but could not say when they arrived or what their role was.

Russia, which has backed Maduro’s socialist government to the tune of billions of dollars, this week promised to stand by him after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself president with Washington’s endorsement.

It was the latest international crisis to split the global superpowers, with the United States and Europe backing Guaido, and Russia and China urging non-interference.

Yevgeny Shabayev, leader of a local chapter of a paramilitary group of Cossacks with ties to Russian military contractors, said he had heard the number of Russian contractors in Venezuela may be about 400. But the other sources spoke of small groups.

Russia’s Defence Ministry and Venezuela’s Information Ministry did not respond to requests for comment about the contractors. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We have no such information.”

The contractors are associated with the so-called Wagner group whose members, mostly ex-service personnel, fought clandestinely in support of Russian forces in Syria and Ukraine,
according to Reuters interviews with dozens of contractors, their friends and relatives.
A person believed to work for the Wagner group did not respond to a message asking for information.

Citing contacts in a Russian state security structure, Shabayev said the contingent flew to Venezuela at the start of this week, a day or two before opposition protests started.

Cuba Connection? - He said they set off in two chartered aircraft for Havana, Cuba, from where they transferred onto regular commercial flights to Venezuela. The Cuban government, a close ally of Venezuela’s ruling socialists for the last two decades, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The contractors’ task in Venezuela was to protect Maduro from any attempt by opposition sympathizers in his own security forces to detain him, Shabayev said.

“Our people are there directly for his protection,” he said.

Venezuelan authorities said they had put down an attempted revolt on Monday by rogue military officers about a kilometer from the presidential palace in Caracas.

Maduro, the 56-year-old successor to Hugo Chavez, only takes to the streets in carefully-controlled situations, since crowds have barracked him in the past.

One of the two anonymous Russian sources, who is close to the Wagner group and fought in foreign conflicts where it was active, said
the contractors first arrived in advance of the May 2018 presidential election, but another group arrived “recently.”

Asked if the deployment was linked to protecting Maduro, the source said: “It’s directly connected.” The contractors flew to Venezuela not from Moscow but from third countries where they were conducting missions, he added.

The third source, who is close to the private military contractors, said there was a contingent in Venezuela but he could not provide further details.

“They did not arrive in a big crowd,” he said.

Publicly-available flight-tracking data has shown a number of Russian government aircraft landing in or near Venezuela over past weeks, though there was no evidence the flights were connected to military contractors.

A Russian Ilyushin-96 flew into Havana late on Wednesday after starting its journey in Moscow and flying via Senegal and Paraguay, the data showed.

The aircraft, a civilian jet, is owned by a division of the Russian presidential administration, according to a publicly-available procurement contract relating to the plane.

Between Dec. 10 and Dec. 14 last year, an Antonov-124 heavy cargo aircraft, and an Ilyushin-76 transport aircraft, carried out flights between Russia and Caracas, flight-tracking data showed. Another Ilyushin-76 was in Caracas from Dec. 12 to Dec. 21 last year. All three aircraft belong to the Russian air force, according to the tracking data.

The United States on Friday signaled it was ready to step up economic measures to try to drive Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power as some U.S. diplomats left the embassy in Caracas and Russia vowed to back its socialist South American ally.

January 25, 2019 - US steps up pressure on Maduro as Russia backs Venezuelan ally
U.S. steps up pressure on Maduro as Russia backs Venezuelan ally | Reuters

The U.S. Treasury Department stopped short of announcing a freeze on Venezuela’s U.S. assets and accounts, but said it would take steps to ensure commercial transactions were “consistent” with its recognition this week of opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday will urge members of the United Nations Security Council to recognize Guaido. Washington requested the meeting of the 15-member council after a string of countries threw their weight behind Guaido, who heads Venezuela’s congress, and urged Maduro to step down.

Pompeo will be accompanied by former U.S. diplomat Elliott Abrams, who he named on Friday to lead U.S. efforts on Venezuela. Abrams is a neoconservative who has long advocated an activist U.S. role in the world.

Russia opposes the U.S. efforts and has accused Washington of backing a coup attempt, placing Venezuela at the heart of a growing geopolitical duel.

Private military contractors who carry out secret missions for Russia have flown into Venezuela in the past few days to beef up security for Maduro, sources said.

Slideshow (14 Images)
U.S. steps up pressure on Maduro as Russia backs Venezuelan ally | Reuters


Venezuela's Maduro says he hopes U.S. diplomats obey order to leave
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday he hopes the United States fully complies with his order from earlier this week for its diplomats to leave the South American country, which came after he announced plans to break relations.

Exclusive: Refiner Citgo prepares to fend off Venezuela's opposition government
Venezuela's most important foreign asset, its $10 billion U.S. refining arm Citgo Petroleum, is hunkering down to arm itself with a legal strategy to block efforts for its board to be removed and its revenues diverted to an opposition government, sources close to the talks said.

Venezuela's Maduro says government will defend Citgo
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday the government would defend Citgo, the U.S. refining subsidiary of state oil company PDVSA, as opposition leader and self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido reportedly considers naming a Citgo board.

Venezuela's Guaido considering request for funds from IMF: sources
Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has proclaimed himself interim president with U.S. support, is considering a request for funds from international institutions including the IMF to finance his interim government, two sources said.

U.N. rights boss calls for inquiry into Venezuela killings
The United Nations human rights boss Michelle Bachelet called on Friday for an independent investigation into alleged excessive use of force by Venezuelan security forces or allied militia, citing reports of at least 20 people killed this week.

Maduro says he welcomes Venezuela debate at U.N. Security Council
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday he would welcome a debate about Venezuela in the U.N. Security Council, as requested by the United States to address the political and humanitarian crisis in the South American country.

Russia will insist on international law compliance if U.N. discusses Venezuela
If the U.N. Security Council holds a meeting on Venezuela, Moscow will insist on compliance with international law, Russia's RIA news agency cited Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Friday.

Russia opposes Venezuela opposition leader as interim president: U.N. envoy
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said on Friday that Moscow would oppose a U.S. push for the United Nations Security Council to recognize Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s interim president.

Pompeo to urge U.N. Security Council to recognize Venezuela's Guaido
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will brief the UN Security Council on Saturday on Venezuela and urge member countries to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's interim president, the State Department said in a statement on Friday.

 

[mabar]

In the meantime in Brazil, Bolsonaro family gets in a serious trouble. Intercept article here, G. Greenwald's video presentation below, best part in the 2nd half of it. Does it lower the chance of Brazilian military aggression against Venezuela?

Unless (Brazil authorities)send them to justice, I do not think so, will only be added up to compartment of corruption cases ...
Found this

It's not fair what they're doing to Flavio to hit me, says Bolsonaro...
Alex Tajra
Do UOL, em São Paulo
23/01/2019 22h13Atualizada em 23/01/2019 22h31

President Jair Bolsonaro (PSL) said his son, Senator-elect Flavio Bolsonaro (PSL-RJ), has to explain himself in relation to the accusations being made in the reports of the Coaf (Council for Control of Financial Activities), which investigate atypical financial transactions. The statements were made in Davos, Switzerland, in an interview for the Record Newspaper on Wednesday (23).

"I believe him, but he has to explain everything that happened to him on these unfounded charges. He did have his secrecy broken, they are committing an arbitrariness upon him. We are not above the law, on the contrary, we are all below, but it is not fair what they are doing with him to try to reach me," said Bolsonaro

The Public Prosecutor's Office of Rio de Janeiro has already spoken on this issue, informing that it has not broken the secrecy of the senator-elect. According to the MP-RJ, Flavio Bolsonaro is investigated in the civil sphere for administrative impropriety, but is not included in any criminal investigation. During the conversation, recorded at the World Economic Forum in Davos and broadcast on Wednesday night, the president also spoke about the situation in Venezuela - the country was the scene of protests against the government of Nicolás Maduro, which Itamaraty considers illegitimate. "The new president presented himself as the leader in Venezuela, the United States recognized him, other countries recognized him and we followed that line," he said.

According to the president, a hypothetical transition of government from Maduro to the opposition leader tends to be troubled. "We have long said that every man and every woman must have freedom. History shows that dictatorships do not transfer power to the opposition in a peaceful way. We will do what we can to reestablish democracy in Venezuela.

...

About the press conference that would be held in Davos and was cancelled by the team of Bolsonaro, the president said he did not want to wear out because it will "go through a very delicate surgery. "I needed to rest for the surgery, so we canceled. I can't get tired," he said. The interview would give at least 40 minutes for journalists to question Bolsonaro, and frustrated leaders and businessmen who wanted to hear more details of the Brazilian government's economic plans. (typical!!)

Case Coaf
Flavio Bolsonaro's former advisor, Fabrício Queiroz, is being investigated for a series of atypical financial transactions between 2016 and 2017. Queiroz moved at least R$ 1.2 million between January 2016 and January 2017, as revealed by a Coaf report. At the time, Queiroz was an employee of Flávio Bolsonaro's cabinet in the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj).

Last Saturday (19), the National Newspaper released another Coaf report pointing to a payment of Flavio Bolsonaro in the amount of R$ 1,016,839 of a bank security of Caixa Econômica Federal - the body said it could not identify who was the favored payment. In another report, also released by TV Globo, the Coaf showed that between June and July 2017, 48 deposits were made in the account of the then state deputy, now an elected senator, totaling R$ 96,000.

A day later, the newspaper O Globo showed that between 2014 and 2015, another R$5.8 million (US$5.8 million) went into and out of Fabrício Queiroz's account. The amounts transferred to the former advisor would be incompatible with their salaries, which drew the organ's attention.

In his defense, Flavio Bolsonaro has already stated that the movements are products of his personal business, such as real estate sales. About Queiroz, F. Bolsonaro said he "has no control" over what his advisors do outside the cabinet .

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator

 

[mabar]

Trump-bashing Iraq war architect Elliott Abrams to lead US regime change in Venezuela

Washington seems so dead-set on regime change in Venezuela, the State Department has just appointed a former diplomat with a sordid track record in Latin America and Middle East to spearhead “restoring democracy” in Caracas.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Friday the appointment of Elliott Abrams to “help the Venezuelan people fully restore democracy and prosperity to their country.” Abrams is expected to coordinate all diplomatic efforts to replace President Nicolas Maduro with the self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido, recognized by the US, OAS and several EU members.

“I left this building 30 years ago this week – last time I worked here – so it’s very nice to be back,” Abrams told reporters at the State Department on Friday. “This crisis in Venezuela is deep and difficult and dangerous and I can’t wait to get to work on it.”

The appointment is an attempt by the US to introduce a direct control of Venezuela as a “future regional vassal,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Democracy was ‘restored’ in Iraq. In Libya, too. In Syria they tried but failed, or rather weren’t allowed to. And now in Venezuela​

Many US journalists and observers – even those supportive of regime change in Venezuela such as MSNBC’s Chris Hayes – were appalled by the news as well, recalling the former diplomat’s dark history in Latin America.


As the Reagan administration’s assistant secretary of state for human rights in the 1980s, Abrams supported the US-backed dictators in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras in their campaigns of repression, including death squads. He was also involved in working with Iran to arming the US-backed rebels in Nicaragua, the infamous Iran-Contra scandal.

Abrams was eventually convicted of lying to Congress about Iran-Contra, but was pardoned right away by President George H.W. Bush. In the 1990s, Abrams became a founding member of the Project for a New American Century, a hawkish neoconservative think-tank.



He returned to the corridors of power in 2001, as a director on the National Security Council for President George W. Bush. He played a key role in the 2002 attempted coup in Venezuela against President Hugo Chavez, and was one of the architects of the 2003 Iraq war.

In February 2017, then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner wanted to bring Abrams back to the State Department as deputy secretary, but Trump reportedly vetoed the proposal after reading what Abrams wrote about him during the 2016 presidential campaign, as part of the NeverTrump conservative camp.



Also on Friday, the US Treasury Department announced it would not be freezing all Venezuelan government assets, but instead ensure that “commercial transactions by the Venezuelan government, including those involving its state-owned enterprises and international reserves, are consistent” with Washington’s recognition of Guaido as the legitimate president.

Between the recognition, the Treasury announcement, and the appointment of Abrams, it seems that President Donald Trump has entirely abandoned his campaign plank of opposing regime change and nation-building interventions, embracing instead the neoconservative line championed then – and this week as well – by his rival Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida).

 

[caballero reyes]

I highly recommend watching and thinking about Niall's video.

A SHORT LESSON FOR ANYONE WHO DOES NOT UNDERSTAND ALL THAT POTENTIAL OF TRUCULENT PHRASES USED BY THOSE WHO HANDLE THE ECONOMIES OF THE WORLD.


This is a highlight of Niall's video ABOUT THE POLITICAL VALUE of the currency in general Min.8.11---9.07:

"This form of agression in the venezuelan case counted on first:

An attack on our currency. We are the victim of an attack to the Bolivar, the national currency; this charge against our currency has become evident on certain websites based outside Venezuela, where fictitiously,WITHOUT ANY RATIONALE OR ECONOMIC PROOF TO BACK IT UP THEY DETERMINE A POLITICAL VALUE OF OUR CURRENNCY.

With this political value they pretend to generate the cost structure of what happens in our nation.

You can have a product made in Venezuela that contains no imported parts,but the price is fixed by this rate WHICH IS SET IN MIAMI WHERE THEY DECIDE PRECISELY THE RATE FOR THE BOLIVAR, AT THE SAME TIME IT GAINS AN ECONOMIC PRESENCE AND THEY DECIDE TO ACELERATE THE PROCESS,THEY DETONATE THE PRICE BETWEEN MIAMI AND CUCUTA,THESE ARE TWO GEOPOLITICAL COMPONENTS THAT YOU CAN HAVE A CLEAN ROAD OF THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE ECONOMIC ASSAULT ON VENEZUELA".

 

[Ca.]

Trump-bashing Iraq war architect Elliott Abrams to lead US regime change in Venezuela

Elliott Abrams a the past from the Obama swamp. He's also a staunch supporter of the destabilization of the Middle East. With Iran and Syria having always been in his Zio appointed cross hair's.

He is currently a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.[4] On January 25, 2019, he was appointed as Special Envoy on Venezuela.[5]
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), founded in 1921, is a United States nonprofit think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs. It is headquartered in New York City, with an additional office in Washington, D.C. Its membership, which numbers 4,900, has included senior politicians, more than a dozen secretaries of state, CIA directors, bankers, lawyers, professors, and senior media figures.
The CFR meetings convene government officials, global business leaders and prominent members of the intelligence and foreign-policy community to discuss international issues. CFR publishes the bi-monthly journal Foreign Affairs, and runs the David Rockefeller Studies Program, which influences foreign policy by making recommendations to the presidential administration and diplomatic community, testifying before Congress,

Trump-bashing Iraq war architect Elliott Abrams to lead US regime change in Venezuela
Edited time: 26 Jan, 2019 01:36 4 minute Read

Washington seems so dead-set on regime change in Venezuela, the State Department has just appointed a former diplomat with a sordid track record in Latin America and Middle East to spearhead “restoring democracy” in Caracas.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Friday the appointment of Elliott Abrams to “help the Venezuelan people fully restore democracy and prosperity to their country.” Abrams is expected to coordinate all diplomatic efforts to replace President Nicolas Maduro with the self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido, recognized by the US, OAS and several EU members.

“I left this building 30 years ago this week – last time I worked here – so it’s very nice to be back,” Abrams told reporters at the State Department on Friday. “This crisis in Venezuela is deep and difficult and dangerous and I can’t wait to get to work on it.”

https://twitter.com/x/status/1088292406796050433

FANB reitera compromiso con defensa de la soberanía venezolana
The Bolivarian National Armed Forces also rejected opposition representatives promoting actions contrary to the Law.

The Venezuelan Minister for Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, said on Wednesday that the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) is committed to defending national sovereignty and the Constitution of the country.

Through his Twitter account, Padrino López said that "the soldiers of the Homeland do not accept a president imposed in the shadow of obscure interests or self-proclaimed outside the law."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1088185917410603008

Translated from Spanish by Microsoft
Despair and intolerance threaten the nation's peace. The soldiers of the Fatherland do not accept a president imposed in the shadow of dark interests or self-proclaimed outside the law. The FANB defends our Constitution and is a guarantor of national sovereignty.

For its part, the Bolivarian Navy backed the minister's position by ratifying his attachment to the Venezuelan Constitution and his loyalty to President Nicolás Maduro, elected in May 2018 with 67 percent of the vote for the 2019-2025 term.

The statements come after the opposition deputy Juan Guaidó self-proclaimed president of Venezuela, a fact that ventures into the usurpation of the powers of the National Executive.

In the framework of the commemoration of January 23, the Chavista people took to the streets to express their support for President Maduro and reject the interventionist actions of the Vice President of the United States (USA), Mike Pence, who called the coup State in the country.

Pence posted a message through his Twitter account "on behalf of President Donald Trump and the American people" so that the Venezuelan opposition would take to the streets on Wednesday and begin "the steps of a transitional government."

 

[Windmill knight]

I highly recommend watching and thinking about Niall's video.

Yeah, that was very interesting. It looks like the economic war on Venezuela is very real:

Trump’s Economic Sanctions Have Cost Venezuela About $6bn Since August 2017

Sept 28th, 2018

Venezuelan economist Francisco Rodriguez, a longtime critic of the Venezuelan government, wrote a piece showing that after sanctions Trump introduced in August of 2017 Venezuela’s oil production dropped much faster than analysts had predicted it would. Rodriguez was the economic advisor to former presidential candidate Henri Falcon, who defied US threats to run in Venezuela’s presidential elections that were held in May despite the boycott of other opposition leaders.

Venezuelan oil production followed essentially the same pattern as Colombia’s during 2016 and most of 2017 –until August when Trump’s sanctions came into force. A decline in production was driven by the price of oil hitting its lowest point in about a decade at the start of 2016. But in August of 2017 Trump’s sanctions made it illegal for the Venezuelan government to obtain financing from the US which was devastating for two reasons: all the Venezuelan governments’ outstanding foreign currency bonds are governed under New York state law; and one of the Venezuelan government’s major assets, the state-owned CITGO corporation, is based in Texas. The sanctions also blocked CITGO from sending profits and dividends back to Venezuela (which had been averaging about $1 billion USD per year since 2015).

 

[seek10]

It looked US may get they want in Venezuela, until I saw this article saying Russians have a comprehensive plan to rescue it. Probably, that's why US went full aggressive mode this week.

Russian authorities have a 'two-punch plan' to help the Venezuelan people -- Sott.net

Russian authorities have rolled out a two part plan to help its strategic partner, Venezuela out of the deep crisis.

The first is aimed immediately at security stability, and involves the use of Kremlin approved Russian mercenaries from the Wagner corp. Reuters reported earlier today: "Private military contractors who do secret missions for Russia flew into Venezuela in the past few days to beef up security for President Nicolas Maduro in the face of U.S.-backed opposition protests, according to two people close to them."
...
"We... have signed a contract to ensure supplies of 600,000 tonnes of wheat for Venezuelan people," he stated, pointing out that the supplies are guaranteed for "2019 and onwards." "Furthermore, a contract has been signed to provide assistance, maintenance and repair of weapons of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela."

Also, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said that same December 6th that the Venezuelan Armed Forces are interested in the modernization of land-based anti-air systems previously supplied by Russia.

These are generally understood as a reference to the S-300 and S-400 system, which Venezuela will need to obtain - more urgently so now that the U.S will likely soon be threatening 'targeted precision strikes' on 'government and military targets' to 'hasten Maduro's stepping down'.
...
There are four main points in the proposed package of measures.

First, Russian economists offer to introduce a basic income for Venezuelan households. They claim a basic income is a more effective measure to combat poverty than fuel subsidies that the government intended to introduce beginning January 1, 2019. "Real money can be spent both on fuel and the household necessities," said an interlocutor familiar with the proposals.

Second, Russian officials propose to stop funding the budget deficit with new currency. In August last year, Maduro removed five zeroes from the currency and reissued it as the "sovereign bolivar," but without any actions to reduce the budget deficit, the currency soon lost 95% of its value against the dollar.

Third, Russian economists proposed that Venezuela implement tax reforms, following the example of Russia, moving to indirect taxation instead of direct taxes.

The fourth measure proposed by Russia involves an increase in oil production and maximum export diversification.

It is not known if the Venezuelan government is ready to implement the recommendations of Russian officials, the news outlet reports. However, they got the important things they needed from Russia after the meeting with Maduro in early December. As a result of the talks, Maduro stated, Russia is investing over $5 billion into Venezuela's oil industry and over $1 billion into the mining industry. Russia will also supply 600,000 tons of grain to the country.

 

[angelburst29]

It looked US may get they want in Venezuela, until I saw this article saying Russians have a comprehensive plan to rescue it. Probably, that's why US went full aggressive mode this week.

Russian authorities have a 'two-punch plan' to help the Venezuelan people -- Sott.net

The US is pulling everything out of their "goodie-bag-of-tricks" including manipulative threats! BTW - excellent article - SOTT!

The French, Spanish, and German foreign ministries issued separate statements on Saturday that called on Venezuela to hold new presidential elections by next week or else they will recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s leader.

2019-01-26 - France, Spain, Germany give Maduro 8 days to setup new elections
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/france-spain-germany-give-maduro-8-days-to-setup-new-elections/

“The government of Spain gives Nicolas Maduro eight days to call free, transparent and democratic elections,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said this afternoon.

“If that doesn’t happen, Spain will recognize Juan Guaido as interim president in charge of calling these elections,” he added.

In a similar statement, French President Emmanuel Macron said: “unless elections are announced within eight days, we will be ready to recognize @jguaido as ‘President in charge’ of Venezuela in order to trigger a political process.”

The European Union was one of the first political entities to voice support for the Venezuelan opposition leader, prompting President Nicolas Maduro to lash out at these nations in a state address.

The Foreign Ministry of the Syrian Arab Republic issued a statement on Thursday that condemned the U.S.’ interference in Venezuela.

2019-01-24 - Syria condemns US interference in Venezuela
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/syria-condemns-us-interference-in-venezuela/

According to the statement, the Syrian Arab Republic condemned in strongest terms the “blatant U.S. interference” in Venezuela’s ongoing affairs. The Syrian Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. of violating international norms and laws in a brazen attack on Venezuela’s sovereignty.

Finally, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said they stand in solidarity with the Venezuelan government and their President Nicholas Maduro.

US President Donald Trump commented on the evolving situation in Venezuela during a cabinet meeting in Washington DC on Thursday, taking the opportunity to knock socialist ideology.

2019-01-25 - ‘That’s what socialism gets you!’ – Trump lambasts Venezuela
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/thats-what-socialism-gets-you-trump-lambasts-venezuela/


“Well, it’s a very sad situation, that was the richest state in all of that area, that’s a big, beautiful area, and by far the richest. And now is one of the poorest places in the world. That’s what socialism gets you,” Trump said.

He associated the situation to the proposal of some Democrats Congressmen to raise taxes on high earners, saying: “They can’t do it for 70 percent, it’s going to be probably twice that number, but maybe more importantly what happens is you really have to study, take a look at what’s happened to Venezuela.” (Source: Ruptly)

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya accused Washington of a coup attempt in Venezuela when speaking at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) in New York City on Saturday.

2019-01-26 - Russia accuses US of coup attempt in Venezuela (video)
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russia-accuses-us-of-coup-attempt-in-venezuela-video/


During the UNSC meeting, Nebenzya condemned “shameless and aggressive actions of the US and its allies, aimed at overthrowing the legitimately elected president of Venezuela.”

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voiced his support for Juan Guaido, who he said “has promised to bring elections and constitutional order back to Venezuela, and security back to the region.”

The political situation in Venezuela is unclear after Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a second term as President and Venezuelan opposition leader and head of the National Assembly Guaido declared the inauguration illegitimate, announcing himself interim president.

On Wednesday, Maduro condemned the decision of a number of countries to recognize Guaido as Venezuela’s acting president and broke diplomatic ties with Washington. (Source: UN TV)

Published on Jan 26, 2019 (3:28 min.)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said social and economic ties with the US "continue and will develop"

Jan. 26, 2019 - Maduro says he severed only diplomatic relations with US
Maduro says he severed only diplomatic relations with US

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said Friday that he severed only diplomatic relations with the United States while social and economic ties with the country "continue and will develop." "Our relations with the US are multifaceted. We severed diplomatic and political relations with the Trump Administration but will continue to maintain relations with people, with universities, social movementes and commercial sectors," Maduro told a press conference broadcast on Twitter.

He added that Venezuela will continue "selling oil that the US needs."

Appointing new US special envoy for Venezuela is an attempt to directly manage the situation in the Latin American country, Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Facebook page on Saturday.

Jan. 26, 2019 - US trying to directly manage situation in Venezuela — Russian Foreign Ministry
US trying to directly manage situation in Venezuela — Russian Foreign Ministry

"This is Washington's attempt to start directly managing the political situation in Venezuela which the US elites consider as their future vassal in the region," Zakharova said. "They already 'restored' democracy in Iraq, as well as in Libya. They failed in Syria, or, it will be more accurate to say, they were not allowed to do it. Now it is Venezuela's turn," she added.


U.S. pushes U.N. Security Council to back Venezuela's Guaido
The United States is pushing for a United Nations Security Council statement expressing full support for Venezuela's National Assembly as the country's "only democratically elected institution," but Russia is expected to block the move, diplomats said on Friday.

At U.N., Pompeo asks countries to 'pick a side' on Venezuela
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told countries at the United Nations on Saturday to "pick a side" on Venezuela, urging them to back Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido and calling for free and fair elections as soon as possible.

Russia says any military intervention in Venezuela should be avoided
The United States considering all options in relation to Venezuela is dangerous and any potential military intervention there should be avoided at any cost, Russia's ambassador to United Nations said on Saturday.

Maduro's offer of dialogue with U.S. stands: Venezuela foreign minister
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro still hopes to establish communication and dialogue with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, Venezuela's foreign minister told the United Nations Security Council on Saturday.

EU calls for free, credible presidential elections in Venezuela
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Saturday urged Venezuela to hold free, transparent and credible presidential elections to elect a government that truly represents the will of its citizens.

Germany ready to recognize Guaido if Venezuela doesn't call elections
The German government is ready to recognize Juan Guaido as interim president of Venezuela if elections are not called in eight days, a government spokeswoman said on Twitter on Saturday.

France ready to recognize Guaido if Venezuela doesn't call elections
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday he was ready to recognize Juan Guaido as president of Venezuela if elections were not called in the coming week.

Spain to recognizes Guaido if Venezuela’s Maduro refuses to call elections
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday he would give Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro eight days to call elections in the south American country or Spain would recognizes Juan Guaido as interim leader in charge of calling an election.

 

[mabar]

Windmill knight][/B]

But in August of 2017 Trump’s sanctions made it illegal for the Venezuelan government to obtain financing from the US which was devastating for two reasons: all the Venezuelan governments’ outstanding foreign currency bonds are governed under New York state law; and one of the Venezuelan government’s major assets, the state-owned CITGO corporation, is based in Texas. The sanctions also blocked CITGO from sending profits and dividends back to Venezuela (which had been averagingabout $1 billion USD per year since 2015).

I hear yesterday the Q & A of Maduro's press conference, priceless to say the least to see the decomposed expression of the Bloomberg journalist after Maduro answered back that, he was not worried to loose CITGO since it is a Venezuelan company ... the whole press conference was very intersting to hear.

Here the whole presss conference, it has subtitles to english and simultaneous translation

https://youtu.be/hzi1720ASqU

It comes along with what we had observed, so different of what media had been telling ... people I know are terrifyied that Mexico, with president Lopez Obrador can be like Venezuela, he dare to respect the Venezuela's sovereignty that fortunately is well written in the mexican constitution... friends are feeling ashamed that Mexico is not part of the "brave countries"???!!!! to which I am not sure how to react at them, laughing so hard, cry, be angry, etc ... so much ignorance and manipulation ...cannot avoid to think about other years, countries, history repeating again ... it is sad .-...

And, other latinamerican countries (Lima's Group) going along with this BS?!!! and, with appointed regime change with Elliot Abrams, are they nuts???!!! in my wishfull thinkig I will like to see of them backtracking, it was at my earlier years that I began to know about the central america dictatorship goverments -incluiding Mexico- and all what it meant for the people, injustice, violence etc, etc, ... but greed seems to weight more ....

 

[Voyageur]

It looked US may get they want in Venezuela, until I saw this article saying Russians have a comprehensive plan to rescue it. Probably, that's why US went full aggressive mode this week.

When watching a video posted above yesterday, thought see what the Russians were doing - investing etc. And here as you quoted were some points:

First

, Russian economists offer to introduce a basic income for Venezuelan households. They claim a basic income is a more effective measure to combat poverty than fuel subsidies that the government intended to introduce beginning January 1, 2019. "Real money can be spent both on fuel and the household necessities," said an interlocutor familiar with the proposals.

Second, Russian officials propose to stop funding the budget deficit with new currency. In August last year, Maduro removed five zeroes from the currency and reissued it as the "sovereign bolivar," but without any actions to reduce the budget deficit, the currency soon lost 95% of its value against the dollar.

Third, Russian economists proposed that Venezuela implement tax reforms, following the example of Russia, moving to indirect taxation instead of direct taxes.

The fourth measure proposed by Russia involves an increase in oil production and maximum export diversification.

It is not known if the Venezuelan government is ready to implement the recommendations of Russian officials, the news outlet reports. However, they got the important things they needed from Russia after the meeting with Maduro in early December. As a result of the talks, Maduro stated, Russia is investing over $5 billion into Venezuela's oil industry and over $1 billion into the mining industry. Russia will also supply 600,000 tons of grain to the country.

There is a lot to consider here not knowing all the aspects of their economy, yet it is currently the state plan or the opposition plan (backed by the usual), so these 3rd factors, as suggested by the Russians, may well work better easing tentions (providing some stimulus too). None of which Washington will be pleased with.

 

[1peacelover]

Greedy madness at the cost of innocent peoples welfare.

 

[mabar]

Second, Russian officials propose to stop funding the budget deficit with new currency. In August last year, Maduro removed five zeroes from the currency and reissued it as the "sovereign bolivar," but without any actions to reduce the budget deficit, the currency soon lost 95% of its value against the dollar.

Mexico removed 3 zeros 20 years ago ... "Zeros are removed because the accounts become uncomfortable when there are high inflationary periods, as in the case of Mexico. " mentioned Sergio Negrete Cárdenas, Professor at ITESO (university) and former IMF official in this article En 1993 al peso mexicano le pasó algo parecido a Venezuela and, it came with devaluation of mexican peso and the banks bail out that, I am not going to say much, it was a nightmare and funny circumnstances with the new peso, but I think that if we surived, as other countries had, Venezuela will, better and sooner with the help of other countries like Russia, etc and, of course, if the US and its companions just stop interfering ... that even though, resolution of the UN security council can favor Venezuela, US may not take that into account...

 

[thorbiorn]

When I looked up threads about "Venezuela" on the forum, there were quite a few, which might show the extent of the difficulties the country has been through for so long. Here are the previews from the search beginning in 2006:

Chile Denounces U.S. Pressure Over Venezuela Security Council Vote

Thought I post this article from the English language daily in Santiago, Chile. I have lots of respect for current day prosperous democratic Chile, a country who voted against approval of US military intervention in Iraq as a temporary member of the UN Security Council, rejected the US invite...

• on_strike_usaexpat
• Thread
• Jul 27, 2006
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Suggest an Article for SOTT - and Discuss

Iran and Venezuela strike Alliance

The world seems to be polarizing - those who submit to US imperial might, and those who don't (or at least, pretend not to). http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=11909

• Ryan
• Thread
• Jul 31, 2006
• Replies: 4
• Forum: Suggest an Article for SOTT - and Discuss

Chavez Launches New Venezuela TV Station

I live in Venezuela. It is difficult to me to write in English. I belong to the Spanish forum of cassiopaea since it was created and I am on the ball about the information of cassiopaea from the year 2001. In Venezuela there seem to be two parallel realities, the reality of the government and...

• Galaxia2002
• Thread
• Jun 2, 2007
• Replies: 9
• Forum: SOTT News Discussion

A new coup attempt in Venezuela?

On the 2nd of December, Venezuelans will go vote on a referendum on a number of constitutional amendments which should give more power to the lower classes and help strengthen Chavez's government to be able to enact more progressive policies. Nautrally, the well-to-do upper and middle classes...

• OPINMYND81
• Thread
• Nov 30, 2007
• Replies: 1
• Forum: Political Ponerology: Macrosocial Evil

Venezuela

expels Israel envoy over Gaza attacks

_Venezuela expels Israel envoy over Gaza attacks | Reuters

• Green_Manalishi
• Thread
• Jan 7, 2009
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Suggest an Article for SOTT - and Discuss

Chavez says Venezuela jets intercepted U.S. plane

CARACAS (Reuters) - President Hugo Chavez said he ordered two F-16 jets to intercept a U.S. military plane that twice entered Venezuelan skies on Friday, but Washington said none of its planes flew over the South American country's airspace. Brandishing a photo of the plane, which he described...

• dannybananny
• Thread
• Jan 9, 2010
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Suggest an Article for SOTT - and Discuss

Catatumbo: Venezuela's vanishing lightning

take a look at this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/05/venezuela-lightning-el-nino Darkness rarely lasted long in the skies over Lake Maracaibo. An hour after dusk the show would begin: a lightning bolt, then another, and another, until the whole horizon flashed white. Electrical...

• Galaxia2002
• Thread
• Mar 8, 2010
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Earth Changes

Important, people in the forum to Venezuela.

...you die, vive la vida loca", they themselves are given for dead in life. This is sad and very frustrating. My idea is that all people to Venezuela present at the forum, contact us as soon as possible and begin to work together. Create a group E.E classes and start reaching out directly to...

• Alma.Innovadora
• Thread
• Jun 24, 2010
• Replies: 16
• Forum: What's on your mind

Chavez really sick? Venezuela entering in "the next war"?

...how serious is? because the government do not say anything specific about it and no one knows for certain how serious is ... finally about Venezuela, I know now there is only one world secret government, but there will be elections in my country and I personally think that Chavez is part of...

• irjo
• Thread
• Jul 4, 2012
• Replies: 2
• Forum: Questions For the Cs

Venezuela

's VP: "There was an international conspiracy to make Chavez sick"

The Venezuelan government is making this big official announcement today: _http://www.clarin.com/mundo/Maduro-Enemigos-Venezuela-atacaron-Chavez_0_877112486.html Original in Spanish: I made a quick translation:

• peche
• Thread
• Mar 5, 2013
• Replies: 83
• Forum: Suggest an Article for SOTT - and Discuss

The Game Changed in Venezuela ?

Last week it seems that in Venezuela _http://caracaschronicles.com/2014/0...aschronicles.com/2014/02/20/the-game-changed/ Anybody has got some clue about this situation ?

• Esote
• Thread
• Feb 22, 2014
• Replies: 14
• Forum: What's on your mind

Show #54: Revolution in Ukraine and Venezuela - Interview with Finian Cunningham

Sunday February 23rd, 2014 - Show #54: Revolution in Ukraine and Venezuela - Interview with journalist Finian Cunningham

• Niall
• Thread
• Feb 22, 2014
• Replies: 9
• Forum: Sott Talk Radio Show!

[QUOTE]Chinkungunya, dengue and weird infections in Venezuela[/QUOTE]

...to this issue. So inmediately the governor of that state appeared in tv saying that that Doctor should be on Jail. Next the President of Venezuela Said this is a bacteriological warfare. Here I put a translation of an article talking about this weird "virus" This was the last...

• Galaxia2002
• Thread
• Sep 23, 2014
• Replies: 5
• Forum: Diet and Health

US going after Russia, Venezuela as it loses global influence – Maduro to RT

...Washington is losing its weight in the international arena and this makes it target Russia and Venezuela, as well as attempt to curtail China’s growth, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told RT's Spanish-language channel in an exclusive interview. In March, the US declared Venezuela a...

• Keyhole
• Thread
• May 11, 2015
• Replies: 2
• Forum: Suggest an Article for SOTT - and Discuss

Meanwhile In Venezuela... The Socialist Paradise Has Arrived

Three video's of what is happening in Venezuela with the food storage. America - take note! We might be next? Meanwhile In Venezuela... The Socialist Paradise Has Arrived http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-07-29/meanwhile-venezuela-socialist-paradise-has-arrived As we recently warned, the...

• angelburst29
• Thread
• Aug 3, 2015
• Replies: 4
• Forum: Suggest an Article for SOTT - and Discuss

Half of Venezuela is about to run out of electricity

...and reaching an elevation that will force to stop the turbines. This power the 60 % of all the country so we are really afraid of the consecuences if it doesn't start to rain right now! The chaos could be undescriptible if it stops...

• Galaxia2002
• Thread
• Apr 14, 2016
• Replies: 2
• Forum: Suggest an Article for SOTT - and Discuss

Has Maduro really dissolved the National Assembly in Venezuela?

Hi, I want to make some clarifications about this article published in Sott: Has Maduro really dissolved the National Assembly in Venezuela? For me the article is tendentious because it seems to omit some facts that can help to arrive to a more objective conclusion. At this moment the...

• Galaxia2002
• Thread
• Apr 1, 2017
• Replies: 2
• Forum: SOTT News Discussion

Which is then brings us to the present thread:

Venezuela: Resistance or disintegration?

...realized that it has become very difficult to see clearly and wanted to bring it up here for discussion. As many if not all of you know, Venezuela went through a transformative phase back at the turn of the century. Hugo Chavez came in and had a message and a direction for the country that...

• Alejo
• Thread
• Apr 23, 2017
• Replies: 271
• Forum: Suggest an Article for SOTT - and Discuss[/QUOTE]

The latest developments are as clear sign as ever that the US Government and its associated power affiliates are moving in the direction of overt control of countries and populations:
Spain urges elections in Venezuela, or ‘interim leader Guaido should organize vote’
UK government comes out in support of Venezuela's Juan Guaido, after attempted coup - UPDATES
Russian envoy says UN Security Council should look into US attempts for coup in Venezuela
Compare French and Venezuelan protests - spot the difference which has

It's a crowded field, but the prize for the biggest hypocrite of all goes to Emmanuel Macron.

The man who has been clamping down on legitimate street protests at home, and whose approval rating slumped to just 21% earlier this month, published a tweet in which he praised ' the courage of the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who are marching for their liberty".

For the Yellow Vests protestors, and indeed for anyone else who genuinely supports liberty, that really is one sick joke.

[/quote]
There is a Macron and Gilet Jaune, but there is also a Brexit which after two years looks like a No-exit, just as there is Madrid and Catalonia. Without doubt all these Governments, that is the US & UK Government, the Spanish Government and the French Government know how to advice on a situation outside their own responsibility. Perhaps in this time of "post" one could think of a post democratic western world, where the administrations at heart are conglomerates of economic, military, media and political power. Some may wonder, if that is not some kind of fascism, and expressions like "Officially not" could be a diplomatic answer.

 

[seek10]

There is a Macron and Gilet Jaune, but there is also a Brexit which after two years looks like a No-exit, just as there is Madrid and Catalonia. Without doubt all these Governments, that is the US & UK Government, the Spanish Government and the French Government know how to advice on a situation outside their own responsibility. Perhaps in this time of "post" one could think of a post democratic western world, where the administrations at heart are conglomerates of economic, military, media and political power. Some may wonder, if that is not some kind of fascism, and expressions like "Officially not" could be a diplomatic answer.

I think we need to add Bibi to the list of heads that needs distraction. It looks to me, if the Western heads shout too much, Israel had to be there behind( skripals, old terrorist attacks in France etc.). if Russia and US conflict over Venezuela, chief beneficiary will be Israel.

There are some doubts whether Russian private army involvement in Venezuela is real or Fake.

MSM Fuels Hysteria About ‘Russian Mercenaries’ In Venezuela. Bank Of England Reportedly Steals Venezuela’s Gold

On January 25, Reuters released an article titled “Exclusive: Kremlin-linked contractors help guard Venezuela’s Maduro – sources“. The article speculates that Russian private military contractors were deployed in Venezuela to support the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

“Private military contractors who do secret missions for Russia flew into Venezuela in the past few days to beef up security for President Nicolas Maduro in the face of U.S.-backed opposition protests, according to two people close to them.

A third source close to the Russian contractors also told Reuters there was a contingent of them in Venezuela, but could not say when they arrived or what their role was.
…
Yevgeny Shabayev, leader of a local chapter of a paramilitary group of Cossacks with ties to Russian military contractors, said he had heard the number of Russian contractors in Venezuela may be about 400.

From this quote it becomes clear that the only real source of Reuters’ data is claims by Shabayev. Reuters described him as the “leader of a local chapter of a paramilitary group of Cossacks”. This “local chapter” is the cossacks association “Khorvino”. Khorvino is a small district in the Northern Administrative Okrug [region] of Moscow. Informed Russian sources describe Shabayev as a local “urban madman”, who became relateively known in the media for his attempts to speculate on the topic of the so-called private military company Wagner.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also denounced rumors about the deployment of “Russian mercenaries” in Venezuela.

In fact, these rumors are a part of the ongoing media campaign designed to demonize the Maduro government and to show “Russian meddling” in its affairs while in fact the US is pushing a regime change agenda in the country. Mainstream media outlets also provide a false data about the situation in Venezuela claiming that almost “entire country” supports the US-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido. This is untrue. Furthermore, the Armed Forces openly supported Maduro. On February 10-15, the country’s military will even hold drills repelling a simulated invasion and enhancing their skills in defending the territories, coast and waterways.

At the same time, Russians are giving strongest possible warnings against US intervention.

 

[angelburst29]

When I looked up threads about "Venezuela" on the forum, there were quite a few, which might show the extent of the difficulties the country has been through for so long. Here are the previews from the search beginning in 2006:

Great Post, Thorbiorn!

If you go into those individual threads and read what the Members are expressing in them, regarding the social chaos and the extreme economic conditions in meeting normal daily needs - it all follows very closely to the template that's given in the descriptive summery below, referred to as "Indirect Adaptive Approach to Regime Change". The US imposed sanctions and utilized other forms of coercion against Venezuela in order to undermine its macroeconomic development.

Venezuela is in the throes of a classic Hybrid War, and analyzing the indirect adaptive approach to regime change being applied there can be instructive for identifying and understanding similar processes whenever they unfold elsewhere.

2019-01-24 - Venezuela: The Indirect Adaptive Approach To Regime Change
Venezuela: The Indirect Adaptive Approach To Regime Change - Eurasia Future

The Hybrid War on Venezuela is reaching its climax following the preplanned and coordinated provocation of the US and its “Lime Group” allies to recognize Juan Guaidó as the country’s “interim president” after he swore himself into office on the day that the Bolivarian Republic celebrated the 1958 ouster of a former strongman. The symbolism is intentionally designed to send a message to the Venezuelan people that Maduro will be their next leader to be overthrown, as well as signal to the international community that “the people are rising up against the regime”. This didn’t just happen out of the blue, however, but is the culmination of the US’ carefully calibrated regime change strategy over the years that follows the model laid out by the author in his similarly titled 2015 book, “Hybrid Wars: The Indirect Adaptive Approach To Regime Change”.

This calibrated regime change strategy in Venezuela - follows closely to the same pattern that developed in Muammar Gaddafi's Libya.
The only outward differences - they were successful in assassinating Gaddafi and then quickly went about setting up a parallel Gov. to push out and replace the democratically elected legitimate Government. Two rival governments, exacting what Venezuela is experiencing now.

In 2017, the Venezuelan government declared the creation of the Constituent Assembly, to rewrite the constitution. Venezuela’s opposition refused to recognize this body and boycotted the elections. The opposition instead remained in control of the National Assembly and decided to run it as a separate parallel legislature.

Libya was the most prosperous democracy in Africa, when it was targeted for destruction. All Hybrid Wars aim to achieve something of strategic significance, and in the Venezuelan case, the US wanted to advance its geopolitical objective of totally controlling the Caribbean and economically - to control the World's largest oil reserves in the Orinoco Belt.

Western war on Libya

Ex-PM: Int'l Community Doesn't Defend Libyan Parliament From Islamists
Ex-PM: Int'l Community Doesn't Defend Libyan Parliament From Islamists

Following the Arab Spring protests in early 2011 and the overthrow of long-standing leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya plunged into political turmoil. Two rival governments were then formed in the country, the internationally-recognized Council of Deputies in Tobruk and the Islamist-dominated General National Congress (GNC) in Tripoli. In December, they agreed to create the Government of National Accord.

"Compared to the situation in Yemen [where the government has been fighting Houthi rebels], the international community did not support the legitimately elected Libyan parliament in the face of the Islamist attacks, but, on the contrary, demanded to engage them in power structures," Jibril, who served as Libyan prime minister between March and October in 2011, said

As the Government of National Accord was set up in the country, the High Council of State was also established, which includes some GNC members. Jibril said he was surprised that the foreign ministers of some countries came to meet the new government despite the fact that it had not yet been approved by the parliament.

UK, French, Italian and German foreign policy chiefs have visited Libya to meet the country's unity government.

Notice, the same group (UK, French, Italian and German) are backing opposition leader Juan Guaido.

There are some doubts whether Russian private army involvement in Venezuela is real or Fake.

I contemplate - the reports are real. This meeting that took place in NY last Sept. - doesn't look like your average "Meet and Greet and how's the Family"(?) - kind of gathering? Very serious overtones, here! I suspect, Russia may have made special arrangements for extra protection - right after the attempted assassination of Maduro with Military equipped Drones? After this UNGA Sept. meeting, additional measures may have been provided?

United Nations General Assembly in New York: Sept. 26, 2018
Sergey #Lavrov met w/Pres. of #Venezuela Nicolás #Maduro. The #Russian side underscored the importance of finding political solutions to internal disagreements in #Venezuela without destructive, esp. forceful, foreign interference. #UNGA

#UNGA73pic.twitter.com/lNrKToGpV0

Following that meeting: Measures taken to help stabilize and further protect Venezuela.

07.10.2018 - Russia sets up Weapons Maintenance Database in Venezuela
Russia Sets Up Weapons Maintenance Database in Venezuela

Mon. October 29, 2018 - Russia sends Officials to Venezuela to Advise on Crisis Reforms
Russia sends officials to Venezuela to advise on crisis reforms | Reuters

December 4, 2018 - Russia's Putin, Venezuela's Maduro to discuss financial help for Caracas
Russia's Putin, Venezuela's Maduro to discuss financial help for Caracas | Reuters

06/12/2018 - Venezuela signs oil, gold investment deals with Russia - Maduro
Venezuela signs oil, gold investment deals with Russia - Maduro