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Russian mercenaries reportedly in Venezuela to protect Maduro
Source: The Guardian
Russian mercenaries reportedly in Venezuela to protect Maduro
Contractors linked to the Wagner group, which has carried out missions in Ukraine and Syria, reportedly travelled to Venezuela
Andrew Roth in Moscow
Fri 25 Jan 2019 19.31 GMT
Russian private security contractors have travelled to Venezuela to provide security to the embattled president Nicolás Maduro, the Reuters news agency has reported.
Citing three sources, the news agency said that the mercenaries are linked to the Wagner group, which has carried out missions in Ukraine and Syria and is now reportedly active in countries in Africa, too.
If it is confirmed that contractors from the group traveled to Venezuela, this would be their first known deployment in the western hemisphere.
“The order came down on Monday 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.
-snip-
Contractors linked to the Wagner group, which has carried out missions in Ukraine and Syria, reportedly travelled to Venezuela
Andrew Roth in Moscow
Fri 25 Jan 2019 19.31 GMT
Russian private security contractors have travelled to Venezuela to provide security to the embattled president Nicolás Maduro, the Reuters news agency has reported.
Citing three sources, the news agency said that the mercenaries are linked to the Wagner group, which has carried out missions in Ukraine and Syria and is now reportedly active in countries in Africa, too.
If it is confirmed that contractors from the group traveled to Venezuela, this would be their first known deployment in the western hemisphere.
“The order came down on Monday 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.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/25/venezuela-maduro-russia-private-security-contractors