Russian general heads mission to train military personnel in Venezuela - Budanov
The aggressor country russia continues to maintain its own military contingent in Latin America and is expanding cooperation with the regime of Nicolás Maduro. Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov said this in a commentary for The War Zone, the press service of the Ministry of Defense reports.
According to Budanov, there is currently a russian contingent of more than 120 servicemen in Venezuela.
They are headed by Colonel General Oleg Makarevich, the commander of the so-called Equator Task Force of the russian Defense Ministry. He is in charge of training the Venezuelan security forces.
"They play the role of military advisors and instructors. This includes training of infantry, special forces, UAV operators, as well as work with intelligence and communications," said Kyrylo Budanov.
The head of Ukrainian intelligence emphasized that the rotation of russian forces in Venezuela has been going on for many years and is not a response to the strengthening of the US military presence in the region.
The group's commander Makarevich and about 90 russians are stationed in Caracas, while the rest are at facilities in Maracaibo, La Guaira and Aves Island.
"Russian units are likely to remain in Venezuela even if the United States decides on a forceful scenario. Russia will try to talk to Washington directly, hiding behind the presence of its military in the country," Kyrylo Budanov emphasized.
He also said that the commander of the russian contingent in Venezuela, Makarevich, commanded the "Dnepr" group of troops during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In June 2023, Makarevich organized the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, a crime that caused significant humanitarian, environmental and economic damage to Ukraine.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on November 12, it became known that Venezuela announced a "mass mobilization" of military personnel, weapons and equipment in response to the build-up of US warships and troops in the Caribbean.