Russian crew members toast with a traditional Venezuelan drink during a welcoming tour by official authorities in La Guaira, Venezuela, after the Almirante Gorshkov frigate and Akademik Pashin oil tanker of the Russian Navy docked there, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. …CARACAS, Venezuela — Two Russian naval ships docked Tuesday in the Venezuelan port of La Guaira after exercises in the Atlantic Ocean that Moscow said were to “show the flag” in remote, important regions, and an initial stopover in Cuba.
The stopover was to last several days and highlight the close ties between Moscow and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government. Venezuelan authorities have not reported the arrival of the Russian vessels, which could barely be seen from afar docked at La Guaira, but Associated Press journalists saw their crewmembers in the city’s historic center.