Venezuela detains 3 Ukrainians, accuses them of 'terror' plot
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro announced the detention of three Ukrainians days before his inauguration, calling them "mercenaries" and accusing them of plotting "terrorist" actions, Spanish news agency EFE reported on Jan. 8.
Venezuelan authorities also detained two U.S. and two Colombian citizens, raising the same accusations against them.
"Today alone, we have captured…, seven foreign mercenaries, including two important U.S. mercenaries," Maduro said at an event in Caracas.
The group was planning a terrorist attack against "the peace of Venezuela," the president alleged. Maduro did not provide evidence to support his claims.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has not yet commented on Caracas' claims, and a spokesperson did not respond to the Kyiv Independent's request at the time of publication.
Maduro is preparing for his inauguration on Jan. 10 to become the president of Venezuela for the next six years after two consecutive terms, claiming election victory in July 2024 amid widespread reports of fraud.
The opposition’s presidential nominee, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, also plans to take the presidential oath. The U.S. and several other nations have recognized Urrutia as the legitimate president-elect.
The Venezuelan government claims to have detained overall 125 "mercenaries" in November and December, all part of an alleged scheme to attack Maduro’s Vice President and Hydrocarbons Minister Delcy Rodriguez.
Maduro has a close relationship with Moscow, bolstered by their shared animosity toward the West.
Venezuela's president has denounced Western sanctions imposed against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and called Caracas and Moscow "loyal allies."
Last summer, two Russian naval ships docked in Venezuela's La Guaira port after exercises in the North Atlantic, supposedly to "show the flag" in the region.
Anastasiia Lapatina
Related posts:
Ukraine war latest: Ukraine strikes 3 Russian air defense systems in single day; 3,800 North Korean troops killed, injured in Kursk Oblast
Ukraine war latest: Ukraine hits Russia's infantry brigade command post in Kursk Oblast, military claims
Vladimir Putin's 25-year-long reign over Russia in photos
Ukraine war latest: Ukraine launches new offensive in Russia's Kursk Oblast, mixed reports surface on outcome
Ukraine war latest: Russian An-72 military transport plane damaged in blast near Moscow, Ukraine's intel claims
Ukraine war latest: Trump hints he won't 'abandon' Kyiv but opposes Ukraine launching US missiles inside Russia
As Lukashenko gears up for new election, Belarusian political prisoners recount horrors they endured in his prisons
Ukraine war latest: Kyiv strikes Russian command post in Kursk Oblast, General Staff claims
About The Author
