Kremlin denied Russian mercenaries were in Venezuela
A Kremlin spokesman rejected reports that Russian fighters had been sent to protect Nicolás Maduro.
Did Russia send private fighters to guard Venezuela's president? On 28 January 2019, the Kremlin said it had not.
Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov denied the presence of Russian mercenaries in Venezuela. His denial followed earlier reports that as many as 100 of them might have been deployed to protect President Nicolás Maduro.
The exchange came amid what is now categorised under the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, and it was also linked to the broader theme of United States–Venezuela relations. The episode has since been placed by some commentators within the framing of a "Second Cold War", a term used by scholars and journalists for heightened tensions in the 21st century, usually between the United States and NATO on one side and Russia or China on the other. Others have discouraged using the term for ongoing tensions.
Peskov's statement addressed the reported numbers directly by rejecting the presence of any such fighters, leaving the earlier reports of a deployment of up to 100 unconfirmed by the Kremlin.
