Russia's Foreign Ministry has condemned what it called an act of "armed aggression" by the United States against Venezuela, calling for calm and avoiding further escalation.
Moscow's statement comes after US President Donald Trump confirmed that the US had carried out attacks and claimed that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had been captured and taken out of the country.
Venezuelan authorities had earlier announced that the country had been directly attacked after explosions were heard in the capital Caracas and in the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil accused Washington of trying to take control of the country's natural resources.
Russia reiterated its solidarity with the Venezuelan people and supported calls for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, stressing that Latin America must remain a zone of peace, and that Venezuela must decide its future without external interference.
Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Russian State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee, described the attack as a US military operation to overthrow an unwanted regime, accusing Washington of seeking to impose its will on Venezuela.