MOSCOW, 3 January. US President Donald Trump claims that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has been captured and taken out of the country. US forces have attacked civilian and military facilities in Caracas, said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto, calling Washington's actions military aggression. TASS has compiled the key facts known so far.
What is known about Venezuela's leadership
„President Nicolas Maduro, who was captured along with his wife and flown out of the country,“ Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez is safe after the launch of a US operation against the Latin American country, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing sources.
Explosions and gunfire in Caracas
At least seven explosions rocked the Venezuelan capital Caracas, the Associated Press reported. The United States attacked at least nine locations across Venezuela, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said. Among them, he named the barracks in Catia-La Mar, the F-16 fighter jet base in Barquisimeto, the airport in El Hatillo, the Higuerote military helicopter base and the National Assembly building.
According to Reuters, the explosions caused a power outage in the southern part of the city, near an important military base.
Witnesses heard explosions and saw smoke rising from La Carlota air base and Fuerte Tiuna military base, The New York Times reported.
Residents of Venezuela's capital reported hearing gunfire in several neighbourhoods of the city and in nearby areas, Bloomberg reported.
During a night-time operation, American armed forces struck at least two military bases in Caracas, a communications centre and a naval port, David Smolansky, deputy to Venezuelan opposition politician María Corina Machado, told CBS News.
Among the targets hit were the Fuerte Tiuna base and La Carlota military airport in Caracas, the El Volcan communications centre and the port of La Guaira on the Caribbean coast.
Night attacks by the American army on Caracas
Statement by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence of Venezuela
Venezuela has become the target of military aggression by the United States, with both civilian and military targets in Caracas being attacked, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto said in a statement.
The Venezuelan armed forces were deployed to defend the country's sovereignty.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has signed a decree declaring a state of emergency in response to the US attack, the foreign minister said.
Venezuela reserves the right to lawful self-defence to protect its people and its independence, the statement said.
American helicopters fired rockets in areas near residential neighbourhoods in the Venezuelan capital, with the number of casualties still being determined, said Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez.
US reaction
The operation carried out by the US armed forces in Venezuela, including the capture of the country's president, Nicolás Maduro, was well planned in advance and „went perfectly,“ Trump said in a brief comment to The New York Times.
Trump said he would comment on the issue at a press conference scheduled for today at 7 p.m. Moscow time.
The US Embassy has urged Americans not to travel to Venezuela.
The US armed forces confirmed that explosions had occurred in Caracas but said they would not comment on Washington's involvement, a US military spokesman told The New York Times.
According to newspapers, the White House declined to comment on the explosions in the Venezuelan capital.
The US Southern Command declined to comment to TASS on the explosions in Caracas and referred the investigation to the White House.
Russia's reaction
Employees of the Russian Embassy in Venezuela are performing their official duties in full, Russian Ambassador to the Bolivarian Republic Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov told TASS.
American military aggression against Venezuela constitutes a gross violation of the UN Charter and threatens international peace and stability, according to a statement by the Venezuelan Embassy in Moscow obtained by TASS.
The statement emphasised that such acts „pose a threat to international peace and stability, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, and seriously endanger the lives of millions of people“.
There are „definitely no“ organised groups of Russian tourists in the Venezuelan capital, Maia Lomidze, executive director of the Association of Travel Agencies of Russia (ATOR), told TASS.
No passenger flights from Russian cities to Venezuela are scheduled in the coming days, a source in air traffic control circles told TASS.
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