Zelenskyy accuses Russia of 'meddling' in Venenzuela's affairs, claims presence of Wagner in the country

As the tussle continues for the presidency in Venezuela even after the elections, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of “shamelessly meddling” in the South American nation’s internal affairs. In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Ukrainian leader claimed that there has been a presence of Russian mercenary group Wagner in the country.

The Ukrainian leader took to X to unleash a scathing attack against Russia over the matter.

“Worrying reports of Russian Wagner mercenaries being spotted in Venezuela alongside government forces. Wherever these thugs go, they bring death and destabilization. This is a clear example of Russia’s shameless meddling in other countries’ affairs, as well as its usual strategy of sowing chaos around the world,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.

“We see that the people of Venezuela are going through a very difficult time. And the only way out is through peaceful and democratic procedures, not through sending murderers to exacerbate the situation further. We condemn the use of force against peaceful protesters and urge everyone to respect the people’s choice. True leaders don’t hide from their people behind mercenaries’ backs,” he added.

Wagner’s presence in Venezuela goes way back 

However, this is not the first time there have been reports about the Russian group’s presence in the Latin American nation. In 2019, it was reported that Russian private security contractors travelled to Venezuela to provide security to the embattled President Nicolás Maduro.

Citing three sources, Reuters reported that the mercenaries were linked to the Wagner group which was then led by Yevgeny Prigozhin. This was seen as the first deployment of the group in the Western Hemisphere.

“The order came down to form a group to go to Venezuela. They are there to protect those at the highest levels of the government,” Yevgeny Shabaev, a Cossack leader with ties to military contractors, told The Guardian by telephone at that time. It is pertinent to note that both Russia and China have heavy investments in the country, hence they keep a close eye on who is ruling it.

Protests continue in Venezuela

Meanwhile, huge crowds headed back to the streets of different cities in Venezuela to continue their campaign against President Maduro’s alleged attempt to steal last week’s election. The demonstrations came a day after the Venezuelan leader said 2,000 people had been arrested and would face “maximum punishment”.

Tens of thousands of dissenters packed an avenue in the heart of the capital, Caracas, to hear María Corina Machado’s stance. Machado who claimed her candidacy for the president’s post also claimed that Edmundo González, was the true winner of the 28 July vote.

“Today is a very important day. After six days of brutal repression they thought they would silence us, frighten us and paralyse us … [But] we are going to go all the way,” Machado told a sea of supporters, many of them waving Venezuela’s tricolour flag or holding placards denouncing Maduro’s authoritarian regime. “We are not afraid!” the crowd chanted as they marched on.

It is pertinent to note that González victory in the turbulent polls has been recognised by the US, Argentina, Uruguay and Peru. Meanwhile, countries like Brazil and Colombia are yet to accept Maduro’s win despite their historical ties to the political movement he inherited after Hugo Chávez’s 2013 death. China and Russia on the other hand have come in support of Maduro.

With inputs from agencies.