Russian officials continue to react to the US military operation in Venezuela, but the position of the Kremlin's top leadership remains relatively restrained. This is noted by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in its analysis, reports News.bg.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Belarusian counterpart Mikhail Ryzenkov discussed the operation during a telephone conversation on January 3. The two issued a standard joint condemnation of the US actions and called on Washington to return Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife to Venezuela.
A harsher position was expressed by the Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, who in a comment to the Kremlin news agency TASS accused US President Donald Trump of violating international law and stated Russia's support for Maduro. Medvedev used the operation to capture the Venezuelan leader and to threaten German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Deputies from the Russian State Duma also criticized the operation, saying that the United States is undermining the sovereignty of countries in the Western Hemisphere and seeking to establish control over Venezuelan oil reserves.
In general, the Kremlin's reaction remains within the framework of familiar rhetoric. According to ISW, Moscow will likely have to balance maintaining its image as a reliable partner for other countries with its efforts to maintain good relations with the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, on January 4, Ukrainian forces continued their sabotage campaign against Russian military infrastructure deep inside Russian territory. The Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reported that on December 26, an explosive device exploded at the entrance to the 47th Missile Brigade of the Southern Military District in the city of Korenovsk, Krasnodar Territory.
According to the GUR, the explosion damaged a military vehicle “KamAZ“ carrying Russian servicemen, causing an unspecified number of casualties.
In a broader strategic plan, the Kremlin is seeking to create a buffer zone in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions, as well as to establish full control over the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.