Troops with patches of the Russian Wagner Group were seen in Venezuela during protests after the disputed election results on Sunday. This has raised concerns about Russia's interference in the country's internal affairs, reports UNN with reference to Defence Blog.
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Protests erupted in the Venezuelan capital the day after President Nicolas Maduro declared victory in the election. The opposition denied Maduro's statement as fraudulent, saying that after reviewing 73.2% of the vote count, their candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won convincingly.
The Wagner Group, a notorious private military company with a history of training soldiers, escorting politicians, and alleged human rights abuses around the world, has reportedly been present in Venezuela before. According to Reuters, members of Wagner's group were in Caracas in 2019 to provide security for President Maduro after protests against his regime. The group also trained elite combat units in Venezuela.
The Defense Blog notes that Venezuela and Russia have maintained close military and economic ties for years. Russia is one of the largest creditors of the Venezuelan government, having provided about $17 billion (15.6 billion euros) in loans to Caracas since 2006. In addition, Russia is seeking access to Venezuela's vast oil reserves, the largest proven reserves in the world.
“The presence of Wagner Group mercenaries in Venezuela is seen as a sign of Russia's continued support for the Maduro government. The opposition and international observers have expressed concern about the implications of foreign mercenaries' involvement in political and social unrest in Venezuela,” the statement said.
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that reports of the presence of Russian mercenaries Wagner in Venezuela alongside government troops are worrisome.
“The reports of the presence of Russian mercenaries Wagner in Venezuela alongside government troops are worrying. Wherever these thugs go, they bring death and destabilization.
This is a vivid example of Russia's shameless interference in the affairs of other countries, as well as its usual strategy of wreaking havoc around the world,” Zelensky wrote on social network X.
According to him, the people of Venezuela are going through very difficult times. And the only way out is to carry out peaceful and democratic procedures, not to send killers to further aggravate the situation.
"We condemn the use of force against peaceful protesters and call on everyone to respect the choice of the people. True leaders do not hide from their own people behind mercenaries," the President of Ukraine summarized.