Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino brands the January 3 U.S. raid that seized President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores as a “brutal military aggression” and “kidnapping” that violated Venezuela’s sovereignty and constitution, alleging that a large part of Maduro’s security team and innocent civilians were “cold‑bloodedly” killed in the assault. Speaking for the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, he demands Maduro’s immediate release, thanks foreign governments and protesters who condemned the intervention, warns that what was done “today against Venezuela” could be done to any state under a revived Monroe‑Doctrine‑style colonialism, and pledges full military readiness under a nationwide external emergency as the armed forces back acting president Delcy Rodríguez and vow to defend the country’s freedom, independence, and sovereignty.
Credit to : Hindustan Times