Russia accuses US of plotting Venezuela coup under drug pretext

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia has accused the US of plotting a coup in Venezuela under the guise of an anti-drug campaign. The US has deployed marines and warships off Venezuela’s coast and carried out airstrikes on vessels allegedly involved in drug smuggling, sinking at least four boats and killing more than 21 people. Venezuela condemned the operation as a violation of its sovereignty and requested an emergency UN Security Council session, warning that the US action aimed to destabilize President Nicolás Maduro’s government and threatened regional peace.

At the UN session on Friday, Nebenzia condemned the US campaign as a violation of international law and human rights. He accused the US of using military, political, and psychological pressure to overthrow a regime it opposes, likening it to the tactics of color revolutions and hybrid wars. Nebenzia dismissed the US’s justification for the military action as a fictional narrative, noting that Venezuela is not considered a major drug trafficking hub by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

Other Security Council members called for de-escalation, but US Political Counselor John Kelley insisted that the US would use its full power to dismantle Venezuela’s “drug cartels.” The US has long accused Maduro of links to drug cartels, labeling him a “narcoterrorist” and offering a $50 million reward for his arrest. Maduro has denied these accusations.