Moscow. June 23. INTERFAX-Soldiers of the elite Preobrazhensky Regiment have been sent to Venezuela for a parade dedicated to the country's Independence Day, the Western Military District said on Wednesday.
"The platoon of the honor guard of the separate commandant's Preobrazhensky regiment of the Western Military District, stationed in Moscow, has departed for the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, where it will take part in the festive events in the capital of the country dedicated to the 210th anniversary of the signing of the declaration of independence," the press service of the ZVO reported.
"All branches of the armed forces of Venezuela will take part in the military parade. Modern military equipment will be used, including Russian-made tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, anti-aircraft missile systems, and aircraft, " the ZVO said in a statement.
A separate commandant's Preobrazhensky Regiment of the ZVO, along with the Presidential Regiment of the FSO of Russia, are unique units stationed in Moscow. They participate in high-level events with the participation of state leaders, meetings of foreign heads of state, the Victory Parade and memorable events.
As reported by Interfax, Venezuela is the largest operator of Russian weapons and military equipment in the Latin American region. Russia provided Venezuela with a state loan for the purchase of military equipment. The amount of contracts in the field of military-technical cooperation between Russia and Venezuela was estimated at $11 billion.
Since 2005, Venezuela has been supplied with air defense systems, including Antey-2500 ,Buk-M2E, Igla MANPADS, Su-30MK2 fighters, Mi-35M and Mi-17 helicopters, as well as armored vehicles (T-72, BMP-3 and BTR-80 tanks) and small arms, including 100 thousand Kalashnikov assault rifles of the new AK-103 modification.
On March 16, 2020, the head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) of Russia, Dmitry Shugaev, said in an interview with Interfax that Russia continues to cooperate with Venezuela on the repair of military equipment.
"Russian specialists are in Venezuela on a rotating basis. As the tasks are completed, they leave the country, are replaced by new groups, and so on, " he said.
"Naturally, our specialists help in the repair and maintenance of previously delivered air defense systems," Shugaev said, answering a question about the combat readiness of the Venezuelan S-300.
The head of the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation then said that Venezuela fulfills its obligations under previously signed agreements.
On February 21, the general director of the Kalashnikov concern, Dmitry Tarasov, said that the construction of a plant in Venezuela for the production of Kalashnikov assault rifles is on schedule, but it is complicated by the situation with the coronavirus.
Earlier, Shugaev said that the plant for the production of Kalashnikov assault rifles in Venezuela will be launched in 2020-2021.
The head of "Rostec" Sergey Chemezov reported that the construction of the plant is hindered by the United States.