Venezuela: Resistance or disintegration?

The envoy, Carlos Vecchio, said the opposition had gained control of two buildings belonging to Venezuela’s defense ministry in Washington and one consular building in New York. He added that the group expected to take control of Venezuela’s embassy in Washington “in the days to come.”

How audacious is that, yet I suppose they have so many pre framed photos of their forged president Guaido to hang up that they really need new wall space.

1553148389022.png
 
Guaido's Chief of Staff is a complete SLOB - unless this was done during a Police search?

Venezuela detains top aide to Guaido in move U.S. calls 'big mistake'
'Personal belongings are seen on the floor at the residence of Roberto Marrero, chief of staff to opposition leader Juan Guaido, after he was detained by Venezuelan intelligence agents, according to legislators, in Caracas, Venezuela March 21, 2019. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Thursday intelligence agents had detained his chief of staff during a pre-dawn raid, a move by President Nicolas Maduro that the Trump administration said would "not go unanswered."

Venezuela's Guaido says arrest of aide shows Maduro's weakness
Personal belongings are seen on the floor at the residence of Roberto Marrero, chief of staff to opposition leader Juan Guaido, after he was detained by Venezuelan intelligence agents, according to legislators, in Caracas, Venezuela March 21, 2019. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said arrest of his chief of staff by intelligence agents earlier on Thursday was a sign of weakness by President Nicolas Maduro's government.

Venezuela opposition legislator says he was not arrested by intelligence agents
Venezuelan opposition legislator Sergio Vergara said on Thursday he had not been arrested by intelligence agents who raided his house before dawn.

Trump adviser Bolton vows action after Guaido aide detained in Venezuela
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 15, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser called for the immediate release of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido's chief of staff on Thursday, saying his detention would "not go unanswered."

U.S.'s Bolton warns Venezuela's Maduro: 'The window is closing'
U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton walks to a Fox News interview outside of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 5, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis

President Donald Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his allies would be "strangled financially" if they continued to hold onto power.

Latam critics of Venezuela's Maduro meet in Chile; try to launch regional bloc
Colombian President Ivan Duque and his Chilean counterpart Sebastian Pinera pose during a meeting at La Moneda Palace in Santiago, Chile, March 21, 2019. REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido

South American leaders will meet in Chile this week in hopes of forming a new regional bloc to replace Unasur, which was launched by Venezuela's late socialist leader Hugo Chavez but has splintered over his country's crisis under his embattled successor, President Nicolas Maduro.

IMF still seeking member views on Venezuela leader recognition: spokesman

FILE PHOTO: International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., as IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde meets with Argentine Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
The International Monetary Fund is still awaiting guidance from its members on whether to recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's leader, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said on Thursday, adding there is no schedule for an IMF board meeting to decide the issue.

U.S. senators call on Venezuela to release jailed Citgo executives
The Citgo Petroleum Corporation headquarters are pictured in Houston, Texas, U.S., February 19, 2019.  REUTERS/Loren Elliott

U.S. Republican Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn on Thursday pressed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to release six executives from Houston-based oil company Citgo Petroleum that have been in jail in the country since 2017.

U.S. court allows Venezuela's Guaido to argue in Crystallex case
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognized as the country's rightful interim ruler, takes part in news conference in Caracas, Venezuela, March 21, 2019. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado

A U.S. judge has ruled that Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido's representatives can present arguments in a court battle with Canadian mining company Crystallex International Corp, a boost to his efforts to retain control of the country's overseas assets.
 
Guaido's Chief of Staff is a complete SLOB - unless this was done during a Police search?

Venezuela detains top aide to Guaido in move U.S. calls 'big mistake'
'Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Thursday intelligence agents had detained his chief of staff during a pre-dawn raid, a move by President Nicolas Maduro that the Trump administration said would "not go unanswered."
It seems so .... although, arrested by earlier morning + (images of turned upside down department), make things unclear, as if they do not have enough propaganda against.
‘Armed terrorist cell’: Venezuela’s Interior Minister confirms arrest of Guaido’s aide
Venezuela’s Interior Minister has confirmed the arrest of self-proclaimed ‘interim president’ Juan Guaido’s chief of staff. The opposition claims he was ‘kidnapped’ while authorities say he was the leader of a ‘terrorist cell.’

Roberto Marrero was taken into custody on Thursday as part of the government raid against a “terrorist cell” that plotted to carry out attacks against top Venezuelan politicians, the Minister of the Interior, Justice and Peace, Néstor Reverol, said in a statement.

“Together with the Public Prosecutor's Office, the investigations led to the detention of the citizen, Roberto Eugenio Marrero Borgas, who is directly responsible for the organization of criminal groups,” he said.

The government also released images of two rifles allegedly seized by the Venezuelan Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) during the raid on Marrero’s house.

Guaido had earlier accused the Venezuelan security forces of ‘planting’ weapons at Marrero's house, while John Bolton, US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, immediately denounced Marrero’s arrest as “illegitimate” and stressed that the move will “not go unanswered.”

...
[/quote
 
I'm getting the impression - Bolton, Pompeo and Pence's worse fear - is that Maduro will start rounding up the opposition leader's including Guaido? Without Guaido parading around like a prize-bull, his support will diminish. The US fails at another Coup.

U.S. warns of 'consequences' after Venezuela detains Guaido top aide
The United States on Thursday warned of "consequences" against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's security services if they continue with a crackdown against opposition leader Juan Guaido and his aides.

Venezuelan government accuses detained Guaido aide of planning attacks
Venezuela's interior minister said on Thursday that authorities had arrested opposition leader Juan Guaido's chief of staff for his involvement in an alleged "terrorist cell" that was planning attacks against high-level political figures.

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet with five Caribbean leaders on Friday who have sided with the United States and most Western countries in backing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as head of state.

Venezuela, China in focus for Trump meeting with Caribbean leaders
Trump will meet with leaders from the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Saint Lucia at his private club in Palm Beach, Florida.

The response to OPEC-member Venezuela’s political crisis has split the members of the Caribbean Community, known as CARICOM.

The organization has officially advocated for talks between Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Guaido. Most of its members have rejected resolutions by the Organization of American States supporting Guaido.

The Caribbean region has long relied on oil and gas from Venezuela, which offered cheap financing through a program called Petrocaribe, though shipments have declined in recent years because of production problems at Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA.

The tensions put at risk regional efforts to try to capitalize on deepwater oil and gas exploration, said Anthony Bryan, a Caribbean energy expert and associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

CARICOM is the body that speaks for energy sustainability in the region. But if you start dividing the states - as apparently an attempt is being made to do - then you, in a sense, almost sabotage from the very beginning that unity that is necessary,” Bryan said in an interview.

Exclusive: U.S. threatens to derail meeting of Latam lender if China bars Venezuela

The United States on Thursday threatened to pull out of the annual meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank in China next week if Beijing refuses to allow a representative of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido to attend.
 
Luis is 17 years old resident of Caracas. In this interview he talk about daily life in Venezuela.
[,,,]

Almost like living on another planet isn't it...how can we not feel something for the misery we see?

Session 22 October 1994:
Q: (L) Well, if we are sources of food and labor for them, why don't they just breed us in pens on their own planet?

A: They do.
 
These two - make a good pair - both are delusional?

Wife of Venezuelan opposition leader to Maduro: 'Enough already!'
Fabiana Rosales, wife of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognized as the country's rightful interim ruler, speaks during an interview with Reuters at the Colombian embassy in Lima, Peru, March 23, 2019. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo

The wife of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido had a brief message for President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday, following the arrest of her husband's chief of staff this week: "Enough already."

Venezuela's Guaido says Maduro is in his final phase
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognized as the country's rightful interim ruler, poses for a photograph after an interview with Reuters in Caracas, Venezuela March 22, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's administration has reached its final stage and there will soon be a change in government, opposition leader Juan Guaido said, adding that his allies have spoken with high-ranking military members about changing sides.
 
Reuter's news outlet is featuring this article:

March 24, 2019 - Russian air force planes land in Venezuela carrying troops: report

Two Russian air force planes landed in Venezuela’s main airport on Saturday carrying a Russian defense official and nearly 100 troops, according to a local journalist, amid strengthening ties between Caracas and Moscow.

A flight-tracking website showed that two planes left from a Russian military airport bound for Caracas on Friday, and another flight-tracking site showed that one plane left Caracas on Sunday.


The report comes three months after the two nations held military exercises on Venezuelan soil that President Nicolas Maduro called a sign of strengthening relations, but which Washington criticized as Russian encroachment in the region.

Reporter Javier Mayorca wrote on Twitter on Saturday that the first plane carried Vasily Tonkoshkurov, chief of staff of the ground forces, adding that the second was a cargo plane carrying 35 tonnes of material.

An Ilyushin IL-62 passenger jet and an Antonov AN-124 military cargo plane left for Caracas on Friday from Russian military airport Chkalovsky, stopping along the way in Syria, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.

The cargo plane left Caracas on Sunday afternoon, according to Adsbexchange, another flight-tracking site.

A Reuters witness saw what appeared to be the passenger jet at the Maiquetia airport on Sunday. It was not immediately evident why the planes had come to Venezuela. Venezuela’s Information Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Russia’s Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry did not reply to messages seeking a comment. The Kremlin spokesman also did not reply to a request for comment.

The Trump administration has levied crippling sanctions on the OPEC nation’s oil industry in efforts to push Maduro from power and has called on Venezuelan military leaders to abandon him. Maduro has denounced the sanctions as U.S. interventionism and has won diplomatic backing from Russia and China.

In December, two Russian strategic bomber aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons landed Venezuela in a show of support for Maduro’s socialist government that infuriated Washington.

Maduro on Wednesday said Russia would send medicine “next week” to Venezuela, without describing how it would arrive, adding that Moscow in February had sent some 300 tonnes of humanitarian aid.

Venezuela in February had blocked a convoy carrying humanitarian aid for the crisis-stricken country that was coordinated with the team of opposition leader Juan Guaido, including supplies provided by the United States, from entering via the border with Colombia.

From Russian news agency - TASS:

March 24, 2019 - Venezuelan president says opposition’s plot to kill him foiled
Venezuelan president says opposition’s plot to kill him foiled
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro © AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko

Nicolas Maduro also called the opposition’s leader Juan Guaido "devil’s puppet".

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said the country’s security forces have foiled a plan to assassinate him masterminded personally by the opposition’s leader Juan Guaido.

"The North American imperialism wants to kill me. We have just exposed a plan to kill me, which was personally led by the devil’s puppet [Guaido]," Maduro said, noting that the prosecutors had made serious progress in investigating this case and would soon start arresting "new terrorists."


Earlier this week, Venezuelan authorities arrested Roberto Marrero, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido's chief of staff, on charges of organizing a terrorist cell and conspiring to assassinate politicians and military officials.

Venezuelan Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said that "combat weapons" and a large sum of money in foreign currencies was discovered when Marrero’s home was searched. The United States and the Lima Group countries condemned the politician’s arrest and the European Union demanded his immediate release.

Plot to kill Maduro - The attempt to kill the Venezuelan president with the use of drones took place as he was delivering a speech in the capital Caracas on August 4, 2018. The drones were shot down, but seven law enforcement officers were wounded. Maduro and senior officials of the country were not injured.

Maduro accused Venezuelan ultra-right in alliance with Colombian ultra-right, and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. The Colombian Foreign Ministry dismissed Maduro’s accusations as absurd.

Several dozens of people were charged with the failed assassination attempt and many of them are behind bars.

The official accused Washington of ordering to seize Venezuela’s assets.

March 24, 2019 - Over $30 billion seized from Venezuela’s foreign accounts in two months — minister

Over $30 billion seized from Venezuela’s foreign accounts in two months — minister
1217346.jpg

© AP Photo/Fernando Llano

More than $30 billion disappeared from Venezuela’s foreign accounts in the past two months, Venezuelan Minister for Communication and Information Jorge Rodgriguez told reporters in Caracas.

"In the past two months, over $30 billion were stolen," he was quoted as saying by Venezuela’s state TV. The official accused Washington of ordering to seize Venezuela’s assets.

"Assets, which Venezuela has in various banks, are being withdrawn. This is carried out under direct orders from the [US President Donald Trump’s] administration," he said.

The minister’s statement came shortly after opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself the country’s acting president in January, said that in an interview to Reuters that "the diplomatic pressure [on the country’s government] has worked, the economic pressure and the pressure on assets have worked." "They [Maduro’s government] are isolated, alone, they are falling apart day by day," he added.

“They have resorted to stealing the assets that Venezuela holds in different banks. This money is being confiscated at the request of the [US President Donald] Trump administration. Over $30 billion has been stolen in the past couple of months”, he was cited as saying by the state channel VTV.

March 24, 2019 - Caracas Says +$30bln Stolen from Venezuela ‘at Trump’s Request’

Farsnews
Caracas Says +$30bln Stolen from Venezuela ‘at Trump’s Request’

Rodriguez has lambasted the country’s opposition for pocketing a billion dollars in government funds held in US banks.

Earlier this month, Maduro accused the Venezuelan opposition and US authorities of being eager to start a war for natural resources.

“No one should let themselves be fooled! The Venezuelan opposition and the US government do not want to help the country. On the contrary, they want to seize our natural resources. They want to unleash an ‘oil war’ to invade our homeland and rule here!
But they will fail!" he tweeted.
 
Reuter's news outlet is featuring this article:

March 24, 2019 - Russian air force planes land in Venezuela carrying troops: report

Two Russian air force planes landed in Venezuela’s main airport on Saturday carrying a Russian defense official and nearly 100 troops, according to a local journalist, amid strengthening ties between Caracas and Moscow.


The Venezuelan military has deployed more S-300 air defense missiles to a key airbase south of Caracas, after Russian military personnel arrived in the country.

Venezuelan military deploys S-300 missiles to airbase south of Caracas (PHOTO)
2019-03-25

US 'Won't Stand Idly By as Russia Exacerbates Tensions in Venezuela' - Pompeo
25.03.2019
 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Washington’s attempts to stage a coup in Venezuela are a blatant interference in the country’s domestic affairs, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Monday following Lavrov-Pompeo phone call.

March 25, 2019 - Lavrov tells Pompeo attempts to stage coup in Venezuela violate UN Charter

Lavrov tells Pompeo attempts to stage coup in Venezuela violate UN Charter

"Lavrov emphasized that Washington’s attempts to stage a coup in Venezuela and threats against its legitimate government were a violation of the UN Charter and blatant interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state," the ministry noted.

Second blackout in a month hits Venezuela, cutting power to Caracas
Lights went out across much of Venezuela, including many areas of the capital city of Caracas on Monday, according to Reuters witnesses, less than two weeks after power was restored following a prolonged blackout.

Venezuela says electrical system was victim of an attack
Venezuela's main hydroelectric dam was the subject of an attack, Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said on Monday, several hours after power went out in much of the country in the second major blackout this month.

U.S. calls Russia deployment of planes to Venezuela 'reckless escalation'
FILE PHOTO: An airplane with the Russian flag is seen at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas, Venezuela March 24, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso/File Photo

An airplane with the Russian flag is seen at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas, Venezuela March 24, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso
The United States on Monday accused Russia of "reckless escalation" of the situation in Venezuela by deploying military planes and personnel to the crisis-stricken South American nation that Washington has hit with crippling sanctions.
 
The Venezuelan military has deployed more S-300 air defense missiles to a key airbase south of Caracas, after Russian military personnel arrived in the country.

The "polite armed men in green" are visiting Venezuela with gifts. Wonderful! This was rundown was on SOTT today:

Russia gives US a red line in Venezuela then pulls a Syria: S-300 missile batteries now up and active near Caracas

Apparently you don't mess with Sergei Ryabkov any more than you mess with Lavrov.
Moscow's interlocutor, Sergei Ryabkov, is known to not mince his words, having earlier castigated Washington for seeking global military domination. He calls a spade a spade, and presumably a criminal a criminal.

The encounter in Rome this week was described as "frank" and "serious" - which is diplomatic code for a blazing exchange.
[...]
After the Rome meeting, Ryabkov said bluntly: "We assume that Washington treats our priorities seriously, our approach and warnings."

One of those warnings delivered by Ryabkov is understood to have been that no American military intervention in Venezuela will be tolerated by Moscow.

For his part, Abrams sounded as if he had emerged from the meeting after having been given a severe reprimand. "No, we did not come to a meeting of minds, but I think the talks were positive in the sense that both sides emerged with a better understanding of the other's views," he told reporters.

"A better understanding of the other's views," means that the American side was given a red line to back off.
 
Apparently you don't mess with Sergei Ryabkov any more than you mess with Lavrov.

Thanks heron dancer.

No more Mr. Nice Guy approach from Russia. Direct force is the only thing psychopaths understand (whether residing in the U.S. , Israel or wherever). I think that Russia under Putin's leadership has come to see this from experience (especially in Syria).


SOTT article said:
Washington's gambit is a replay of Syria. During the eight-year war in that country, the US continually proffered the demand of a "political transition" which at the end would see President Bashar al Assad standing down. By contrast, Russia's unflinching position on Syria has always been that it's not up to any external power to decide Syria's politics. It is a sovereign matter for the Syrian people to determine independently.

Nearly three years after Russia intervened militarily in Syria to salvage the Arab country from a US-backed covert war for regime change, the American side has manifestly given up on its erstwhile imperious demands for "political transition". The principle of Syrian sovereignty has prevailed, in large part because of Russia's trenchant defense of its Arab ally.

....

Perhaps paralleling the Syria situation, this could be the start of a scenario where the greater the proxy action and threats from the United States, the more Russia will slowly intervene at the behest of Maduro.

I hope Russia's strategy continues to follow the one they have been using in Syria.
 
Apparently you don't mess with Sergei Ryabkov any more than you mess with Lavrov.

Elliott Abrams
Elliott Abrams
DepFMSergei Ryabkov
© Russian Embassy Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov

"For his part, Abrams sounded as if he had emerged from the meeting after having been given a severe reprimand."

Oh, too funny! How much do you want to bet - Abrams headed directly to the Cocktail Lounge?

March 26, 2019 - New blackout hits Venezuela, media reports
New blackout hits Venezuela, media reports

Venezuela has been left without power for the second time in 24 hours following an act of sabotage at the Simon Bolivar Hydroelectric Plant, the country’s Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said on Tuesday, as cited by the Venezolana de Television TV channel.

According to Rodriguez, the blackout was a result of "an attack on the Simon Bolivar Hydroelectric Plant" that took place on Monday night. "Power lines were damaged," the minister said.

"Rather than sending nuclear-capable bombers and special forces to prop up a corrupt dictator, Russia should work with the international community to support the Venezuelan people," he said.

March 26, 2019 - Bolton urges Russia to join global community to support Venezuelan people

Bolton urges Russia to join global community to support Venezuelan people

US National Security Adviser John Bolton urged Russia on Monday to join the global community to support the people of Venezuela.

"The United States sends food and medicine to help the people of Venezuela. Rather than sending nuclear-capable bombers and special forces to prop up a corrupt dictator, Russia should work with the international community to support the Venezuelan people," he wrote on Twitter.

Bolton added that "the United States will not tolerate hostile foreign military powers meddling with the Western Hemisphere’s shared goals of democracy, security, and the rule of law." "The Venezuelan military must stand with the people of Venezuela," he emphasized.
 
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