Yet another coup attempt has failed in Venezuela. The army stayed loyal to the legitimate government, said President Nicolas Maduro. Opposition leader Juan Guaido pitted his supporters against the police again. Washington considers military intervention to be an option.
Ruslan Sleptsov will tell us what's happening in Caracas.
Riots on the streets of Caracas: there are burning cars and shooting everywhere. The police are using tear gas and fire hoses to stop the radicals from reaching the presidential palace. The rioters throw Molotov cocktails at the military APCs. The response is harsh. Dozens have been injured. According to the reports, a minor part of the military defected to Guaido. They managed to acquire weapons. However, another coup attempt failed yet again. The majority of officers remained loyal to the legitimate authorities.
President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro held a meeting with the commanders of each of the country's military districts that pledged their full support for him.
Vladimir Padrino, Defense Minister: "I urge everyone responsible for the violence, chaos, and anarchy to stop immediately and lay down their arms. The soldiers who defected to the opposition had been deceived. But now, their actions can be considered terrorism".
Everything began with Juan Guaido's video address that he recorded at an airfield not far from Caracas. He encouraged his supporters to begin an operation to topple the legitimate government.
Juan Guaido, opposition leader: "I'm telling you to act. Take the streets of Venezuela. Get over your fear and support the people".
Guaido was accompanied by another opposition leader, Leopoldo Lopez. He' was recently under house arrest for organizing riots in 2014, which took the lives more than 40 people. In order to free him, the US emissaries bribed his guards, according to Venezuela's Foreign Ministry. After Guaido's address to his supporters, shooting broke out on the airfield but the authorities quickly managed to contain the situation.
Vladimir Travkin, Editor-in-Chief of Latin America Magazine: "It's an insurrection with a limited number of insurgents. That's not the first attempt to make the military defect to the usurper appointed by Washington, who didn't become the leader of the nation, contrary to his image. There's an intense fight for the support of the armed forces. The majority of the troops and their commanders remain loyal to the legitimately elected president, who received 68% of the vote in the 2017 elections".
The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed regret that Venezuela's radical opposition chose to escalate the conflict and initiate armed clashes instead of settling the matter peacefully. Russian diplomats urged to stop the violence, avoiding further riots and bloodshed, and instead, to engage in a dialogue with no external forces involved.
The coup attempt was sharply criticized by Turkey. Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said that he opposes any illegal coup scenarios. The Iranian Foreign Ministry noted that anarchy wouldn't resolve the political controversy. Cuba and Bolivia also expressed their support for the legitimate government of Venezuela.
Ruslan Sleptsov Vesti.
