Russian Ambassador to Venezuela spoke out about the betrayal of Maduro by his security forces

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, kidnapped by the US armed forces, could have been betrayed by the republic's security forces. This was stated by the Russian Ambassador to Caracas Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov.

"Of course, many local security forces did not do what they could have done. If we consider betrayal to be what happened here long before this event, of course it was. And we know the names of these traitors who fled from Venezuelans who consistently, systematically worked for the American special services," the diplomat said on the Rossiya-24 TV channel.

EADaily adds that earlier today, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview with TASS that Moscow insists on Maduro's release.

"The first step, without which everything else remains purely hypothetical, is the release of Maduro and his wife," the deputy minister said, answering a question about whether Russia would be ready to grant Maduro asylum if he were released. "But since this [the seizure of the president of a sovereign state] has happened, it is necessary to insist on the release of the president of Venezuela."

Recall that on January 3, US President Donald Trump announced a military operation in Caracas, as a result of which the US military captured Maduro and his wife. On January 5, they appeared before the Federal Court of the Southern District of New York. They are accused of involvement in drug trafficking. Maduro and his wife pleaded not guilty. The functions of the Head of State in Venezuela is played by Delcy Rodriguez, who held the post of executive vice president under Maduro. Trump says that the United States will take over the interim management of Venezuela.