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As US Imposes New Sanctions on Venezuela, Russian Troops Land in Caracas, Threaten US Intervention Plans

March 25, 2019

Venezuela crisis: Russian troops in Caracas threaten US intervention plans

25 Mar, 2019 3:38pm

Vladimir Putin has flown Russian troops into Venezuela.

Two Russian aircraft have landed in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, offloading cargoes of troops and military equipment.

It's President Putin's latest play on the world stage, after blindsiding the US with its intervention in Syria and Ukraine.

Venezuela is in crisis.

Its currency is virtually worthless as hyperinflation spins out of control. Basic foodstuffs and medicine are simply not available. Law and order is breaking down, with its fishing fleets turning to piracy in the Caribbean. A mass exodus of its population is underway to neighbouring countries.

The US State Department has openly backed opposition leader Juan Guaido. But President Nicolas Maduro maintains control over the military.

In January, Guaido declared himself interim president, saying Maduro's re-election last year was rigged. Maduro alleges that Guaido is a collaborator in a US-directed plot to overthrow him.

The arrival of Russian troops — accompanied by Chief of Staff of Russian Ground Forces Vasily Tonkoshkurov — is set to strengthen Maduro's position significantly. It poses a major diplomatic and military upset for any US plans to intervene on Guaido's behalf.

Moscow's move

The Russian aircraft arrived in Caracas this weekend as part of "ongoing military co-operation" between the two allies, a Venezuelan official said overnight.

Russian military officials and troops are visiting to discuss equipment maintenance and training, and strategy, the official told local media on condition of anonymity.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12216107

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Venezuela crisis: Russian military planes land near Caracas

BBC, March 24, 2019

Image copyright Reuters Image caption A Russian aircraft was pictured at an airport near Caracas on Sunday

Two Russian military planes landed in Venezuela's main airport on Saturday, reportedly carrying dozens of troops and large amounts of equipment.

The planes were sent to "fulfil technical military contracts", Russia's Sputnik news agency reported.

Javier Mayorca, a Venezuelan journalist, wrote on Twitter that he saw about 100 troops and 35 tonnes of equipment offloaded from the planes.

It comes three months after the two nations held joint military exercises.

Russia has long been an ally of Venezuela, lending the South American nation billions of dollars and backing its oil industry and military. Russia has also vocally opposed moves from the US to sanction the government of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.

Mr Mayorca said on Twitter that a Russian air force Antonov-124 cargo plane and a smaller jet landed near Caracas on Saturday.

He said that Russian General Vasily Tonkoshkurov led the troops off one of the planes.

A military plane with a Russian flag on its fuselage could be seen on the tarmac at an airport on Sunday. Images on social media also appeared to show Russian troops gathered at the airport.

Ties between Moscow and Venezuela have strengthened in recent months, amid worsening relations between the US and Venezuela. In December, Russia sent two air force jets there as part of a military exercise.

Russia has condemned other foreign powers for backing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who declared himself interim president in January.

President Maduro has accused Mr Guaidó of trying to mount a coup against him with the help of "US imperialists".

The Kremlin echoed that line, accusing Mr Guaidó of an "illegal attempt to seize power" backed by the United States and pledging to do "everything required" to support Mr Maduro.

What's the background?

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro are close allies

Mr Maduro narrowly won a presidential election in April 2013 after the death of his mentor, President Hugo Chávez. He was elected to a second term in May 2018 in an election which has been widely criticised by international observers.

Venezuela has experienced economic collapse, with severe food shortages and inflation reaching at least 800,000% last year.

Mr Guaidó has accused President Maduro of being unfit for office, and won the support of many in the country as well as US and EU leaders.

The Maduro government is becoming increasingly isolated as more and more countries blame it for the economic crisis, which has prompted more than three million people to leave Venezuela.

Meanwhile, Moscow has expanded co-operation with Caracas in recent years - increasing arms sales and extending credit.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-47688711

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US Imposes New Sanctions as Venezuelan Government Denounces Takeover of Diplomatic Offices

Trump warned that the “toughest sanctions” have yet to be imposed.

Caracas, March 20, 2019 (venezuelanalysis.com) –

The US Treasury Department sanctioned the Venezuela General Mining Company, known as Minerven, and its president, Adrian Perdomo, on Tuesday.

The move blocks all eventual assets in the US in which Minerven and Perdomo hold more than 50 percent of shares, and also blocks all US persons and companies from dealing with them.

“Treasury is targeting gold processor Minerven and its president for propping up the inner circle of the corrupt Maduro regime,” Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin said in a statement.

Minerven operates in the eastern state of Bolivar and is part of the state-owned basic industry conglomerate Venezuelan Corporation of Guayana (CVG). It owns several gold-processing plants and produces gold bars from both state-run and small scale independent mining operations.

Venezuela sits on the world’s second largest certified gold reserves and has sought to increase mining operations in the so-called Orinoco Mining Arc in the east of the country. However, these mega-mining projects have also drawn criticism for their social and environmental impact on the biodiversity-rich region.

Reuters had reported on March 14 that Uganda was investigating its largest gold refinery for allegedly importing US $300 million worth of gold from Venezuela. The African Gold Refinery confirmed that the gold had originated in South America but denied any wrongdoing.

Sanctions from the US, Canada and Europe have seen Venezuela look for alternative partners for gold refining operations, with Turkey chief among them. Financial sanctions, which have hampered all transactions and blocked Venezuelan accounts abroad, have also seen Caracas increasingly turn to gold as a source of hard currency to fund imports. These operations have also been targeted by Western governments, with the Bank of England refusing to repatriate an estimated $1.2 billion of Venezuelan gold.

The US Treasury Department has also targeted Venezuela’s oil sector, the main source of export revenue, with a de facto oil embargo imposed January 28 that will cost the country an estimated $11 billion in export revenue in 2019. UN human rights expert Idriss Jazairy said in late January that “economic sanctions are effectively compounding the grave [economic] crisis,” adding his concern that the unilateral measures “are aimed at changing the government of Venezuela.”

Trump and Bolsonaro met in the White House and set sights on Venezuela (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump reiterated on Tuesday that “all options are on the table” regarding Venezuela, including a military intervention, warning that the “toughest sanctions” have yet to be imposed. US officials have floated the possibility of imposing “secondary sanctions” on non-US entities that trade with Venezuela, mirroring the sanctions regime imposed on Iran.

Trump’s statements came during a visit by Brazilian right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro to the White House. Trump announced he would appoint Brazil as a non-NATO strategic ally, opening the door to military agreements and joint operations. For his part, Bolsonaro expressed his admiration for Trump and endorsed the plan to build a wall on the US-Mexico border. Venezuela was also a recurring theme during the former army captain’s US tour.

“We need to solve the Venezuela issue,” Bolsonaro said in a speech at the US Chamber of Commerce, “We are counting on US support to achieve that. There is a lot we can do together,” he went on to say.

Venezuelan authorities reacted on Tuesday evening, with Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza issuing a statement rejecting the “dangerous declarations” by Trump and Bolsonaro and denouncing threats to peace in the region.

Bolsonaro’s visit coincided with an announcement by US State Department spokesman Roberto Palladino that two military attache buildings in Washington DC and the consulate in New York City were taken over by representatives of self-proclaimed “Interim President” Juan Guaido, and that the Trump administration was "pleased to support these requests."

In response, the Venezuelan government denounced the “forceful and illegal” occupation of its diplomatic offices in US territory. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it reserved the right to take “corresponding reciprocal actions” on Venezuelan territory.

US solidarity movements mobilized in reaction to the break-ins, with a picket outside the Manhattan consulate stopping a celebratory gala from taking place, and Code Pink activists sleeping in the Washington DC embassy to prevent it from being occupied.

Protesters rallied outside the Venezuelan consulate in Manhattan after it was occupied by Guaido's representatives. (People's Dispatch)

The takeovers come just days after opposition leader Juan Guaido announced over the weekend that efforts to oust the Maduro government were entering a “new phase” with a nationwide tour.

“Very soon, when we have visited and organized every inch [of Venezuela] we will go to Miraflores [Presidential Palace] and reclaim what belongs to the Venezuelan people,” he told a crowd of supporters in the city of Valencia on Saturday, dubbing the tour “Operation Freedom.”

Guaido also urged his supporters to “talk nicely” to public officials and members of the armed forces in order to persuade them. He had announced a “phased strike” in the public sector last week but no more information has yet been made public.

The opposition-controlled National Assembly, which has been in contempt of court since 2016, approved on Tuesday an “amnesty” bill that would allow military officers to keep their posts and ranks should they choose to back Guaido’s efforts in ousting the Venezuelan government. US officials reacted on social media, urging the military to take Guaido’s offer of amnesty, with Florida Senator Marco Rubio tweeting that “it only gets worse from here” and National Security Advisor John Bolton saying that “U.S. sanctions can be removed if you do the right thing.”

For its part, the Maduro administration has indicated that a cabinet reshuffle is imminent with Vice President Delcy Rodriguez tweeting that President Maduro had asked all high ranking officials to make their posts available for a “deep restructuring.”

No further details are known at the time of writing, with some popular movements seizing the opportunity to demand a radical reorientation of government policies, using the hashtag “New Faces and Radicalization” on social media (#CarasNuevasYRadicalización).

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14396

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