MOSCOW. Jan 30 (Interfax) - The statements by the Venezuelan opposition that Russia is supplying low-quality weapons to Caracas are unfounded, and Russia expects a refutation from the authorities, Franz Klintsevich, a member of the Federation Council's Defense and Security Committee, said.
"Our weapons supplies there are negligible, compared, for example, to what other countries are buying from us, and selling low-quality weapons to Venezuela, looking for some profit in it, is just absurd. Russia values its reputation on the weapons market too much. We are known to supply them to many countries of the world, and there have never been any complaints about quality," Klintsevich told Interfax on Wednesday.
There have been media reports that the Venezuelan opposition intends to revise the value of contracts for purchases of Russian weapons. Gustavo Tarre Briceno, who was appointed by the Venezuelan parliament as a special envoy to the Organization of American States, said at the Washington Center for Strategic and International Studies that Russia had not sold Caracas what was specified in the contract. He also criticized the weapons supplied by Russia, referring to the poor quality of Russian helicopters.
"One should have expected such things from the Venezuelan opposition, which is acting under orders from the U.S. It's an obvious provocation, which is not based on any evidence. Its purpose is to cast a shadow on relations between our two countries. The accusations made against Russia by the Venezuelan opposition go beyond the framework of common sense. We expect the lawful administration of Venezuela to deny the accusations made by the opposition," Klintsevich said.
Opposition leader Juan Guaido has proclaimed himself interim president of Venezuela and been recognized by U.S. President Donald Trump. Russia called this development an attempted coup. President Nicolas Maduro said he would do everything possible to defend the country's sovereignty.
Venezuela is a major user of Russian weapons and military hardware in Latin America, Anatoly Punchuk, deputy director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), told Interfax in December 2017.
According to earlier reports, the total value of contracts in the sphere of military-technical cooperation between Russia and Venezuela is estimated at $11 billion.
Venezuela has bought the mobile intermediate-range air defense systems Buk-M2 and Antey-2500 long-range systems (VKO Almaz-Antey).
According to earlier reports, 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles in the new AK-103 modification have been supplied to Venezuela. Caracas reportedly purchased Sukhoi Su-30MK2 fighter jets, Mil Mi-35M helicopters, T-72 tanks, and BMP-3 and BTR-80 vehicles.
In August 2018, Rosoboronexport head Alexander Mikheyev announced plans to create a helicopter service center, build a center for training pilots, and finish the construction of a plant for manufacturing Kalashnikov assault rifles in Venezuela.
Venezuela is interested in modernizing ground and air weapons systems purchased from Russia, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said during talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on December 6, 2018.
Two Russian Tupolev Tu-160 bombers flew to Venezuela for several days in December. They flew over the Caribbean and conducted drills with Venezuelan fighters.