Russian President Vladimir Putin talking on the phone in his Kremlin office. Photo: Mikhail Metzel/pool/TASS/File photo.
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, spoke by telephone this Thursday, May 4, with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to express the support of the Venezuelan people after the assassination attempt against him at the Kremlin.
This was reported by President Maduro via social media. “Today, May 4, I had a telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin to express all the support of the Venezuelan people, in the face of the terrorist attack on the Kremlin,” he wrote. “We also talked about the importance of deepening bilateral cooperation relations between the Russian Federation and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”
Hoy #4May, sostuve un contacto telefónico con el presidente Vladimir Putin para expresarle todo el apoyo del pueblo venezolano, frente al ataque terrorista en el Kremlin. También conversamos sobre la importancia de profundizar las relaciones de cooperación bilateral entre la… pic.twitter.com/Aosm1jY9r0
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) May 4, 2023
On Wednesday, the government of Venezuela issued a statement, on behalf of the Venezuelan people, to condemn the attempt of assassination that was intended to be committed against President Putin.
The statement highlights the effective action of the Russian security forces that managed to neutralize two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with which they tried to attack the Kremlin, and further indicates the position of the government of President Maduro to bring to justice the material and intellectual authors of the assassination attempt.
Facts?
It was reported on Wednesday, May 3, that Russian forces successfully repelled an attempted drone attack on the Kremlin.
According to the Russian media, the special services disabled the drones with radar control systems, whose fall did not cause “human or structural damage.”
Terrorist act?
The Russian presidential press service announced in a statement that the actions are considered “as a planned terrorist act and an attempt against the president,” according to the TASS news agency.
The statement also notes that Moscow will be ready to respond to Kyiv’s attempt when and where it deems appropriate.
2018 drone attack against Maduro
President Nicolás Maduro experienced first-hand an attack of this nature, during a military parade commemorating the 81st anniversary of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) in Paseo Los Próceres, Caracas, on August 5, 2018. Two drones armed with C-4 explosives were neutralized a few meters from the presidential stage during the ceremony.
Initially, mainstream and local media presented the terrorist attack as having been staged by the Chavista government itself, but a few months later CNN published a report ratifying the fact that the terrorists actually belonged to the Venezuelan opposition, and had trained for months in Colombia.
The opposition terrorists used two regular UAVs, each carrying one kilogram of C-4 explosive. One of the drones flew over the presidential stage with the intention of being detonated by the attackers, but authorities caused the drone pilot to lose control of the aircraft, and its explosive cargo detonated some distance from the targeted area, its debris causing injuries on those participating in the military parade. The second drone subsequently fell into an apartment building, where it exploded on the first floor.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
