CARACAS, Venezuela — A visit to Venezuela by two military airplanes from Russia, which landed in broad daylight at the international airport in Caracas, has set off alarms that the Kremlin might be acting more brazenly to protect President Nicolás Maduro from the uprising against him. Russian and Venezuelan officials have not disputed the arrival of the airplanes, which were first seen at the airport on Saturday. Such flights ordinarily would be sent to a protected military air base beyond the sight of the public. [Why is Russia helping Venezuela?] The planes brought supplies and technical advisers to Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, according to a Russian state news agency and a Russian diplomat. The visit was related to military cooperation contracts signed years ago between Russia and Venezuela, said the news agency, Ria Novosti, suggesting it was routine. A Russian diplomat in Caracas, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the diplomat was not authorized to speak to the media, confirmed the Ria Novosti account and said there was nothing unusual.<doc-sep>Advertising Read more Caracas (AFP) A cargo plane bearing the Russian flag was spotted by AFP at the main airport in Venezuela Sunday amid reports that Moscow has dispatched troops and a senior military official to the country. The aircraft was seen at Maiquetia airport outside Caracas guarded by a contingent of Venezuelan National Guardsmen. Javier Mayorca, an independent journalist, reported on his Twitter account the arrival of two Russian panes -- an Antonov-124 cargo plane and a smaller jet -- late Saturday at the airport. He said around 100 Russian soldiers led by General Vasily Tonkoshkurov, head of the Mobilization Directorate of Russia's armed forces, disembarked along with about 35 tons of equipment. A picture of a Russian flagged aircraft posted on social media showed men in uniform clustered around it on the tarmac. There was no confirmation from Venezuelan authorities, and the Russian embassy in Caracas declined to comment to AFP on the report, which was widely carried by Venezuelan media. Russia and China are the main allies of Venezuela. Both have lent billions of dollars to the oil-rich South American country, propping up the anti-US government of President Nicolas Maduro. Russia has also vocally opposed US moves to sanction Maduro and his government, and to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president. US moves against Caracas have ratcheted up in recent weeks, with President Donald Trump warning "all options" -- implicitly including US military intervention -- were being considered. On April 28, US sanctions are to jump up a level with a ban on crude imports from Venezuela. America is historically Venezuela's biggest oil buyer, and that step is expected to severely crimp the Maduro government's already diminished finances. Russia has previously signalled its support for Maduro by sending two TU-160 bombers to Venezuela last December to take part in a military exercise. Russia's President Vladimir Putin has a record of ordering his military -- or paramilitary -- forces into several theaters to challenge US strategies, notably in Syria and Ukraine. However, any Russian foothold in Latin America, especially Venezuela, would alarm the US military. It would also be a political test for Trump, who has routinely avoided criticizing Putin. ? 2019 AFP<doc-sep>Moscow says the arrival of Russian soldiers in Venezuela does not present a threat to anyone, after U.S. President Donald Trump called on Russia to withdraw its troops from the South American country and warned that "all options" were open to achieve that.. "Russia is not changing the balance of power in the region, Russia is not threatening anyone, unlike [officials] in Washington," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told journalists on March 28. Zakharova said that the "Russian specialists" were sent to Venezuela under a military cooperation deal, adding they would remain in the country "for as long as needed." Two Russian military planes landed outside Caracas on March 23, carrying nearly 100 Russian military personnel. The move came amid a diplomatic confrontation between Washington and Moscow over a push by Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido to try to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro. The United States and more than 50 other countries have recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president. Russia, which has made billions in investments in the Latin American country, has remained a staunch ally of Maduro. "Russia has to get out," Trump told reporters at the White House on March 27. Asked how he would make Russian forces leave, Trump said: "We'll see. All options are open." Vice President Mike Pence called the arrival of the Russian military planes in Caracas an "unwelcome provocation." The U.S. government believes the Russian troops include special forces and cybersecurity experts. Venezuela's military attache in Moscow, Jose Rafael Torrealba Perez, said on March 28 that the Russians will not take part in military operations. He also said that Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez is expected to visit Moscow next month as part of the cooperation between the two countries. With reporting by AFP and Reuters<doc-sep>
A Venezuelan official has told the Associated Press that two Russian Air Force planes arrived in Caracas over the weekend as part of military cooperation between the two countries. The official on March 24 appeared to confirm media reports that said Russian military jets carrying defense officials and nearly 100 troops had landed in the South American country on March 23. A journalist with AFP reported seeing one of the planes on the tarmac at Maiquetia Airport, with a Russian flag on its fuselage and being protected by Venezuelan National Guardsmen. The Venezuelan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Russian military officials have come to discuss equipment maintenance, training, and strategy. In December, Russia's Defense Ministry sent two nuclear-capable strategic bombers to Venezuela in an unusual display of Russian military force in South America -- a move that angered the United States and many other regional countries. The Russian ministry at the time said the two Tu-160 bombers had arrived at an airport outside of Caracas on December 10. The statement did not say if they were carrying weapons. The bombers' arrival came just days after President Nicolas Maduro visited Moscow, seeking Kremlin support for his country, whose economy is in shambles and which is deeply in debt to Russia. Moscow supports Maduro in his tense battle for control of the Venezuelan government with opposition figure and self-declared interim President Juan Guaido, who is backed by Washington and many European countries. Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and AGOP