MOSCOW, May 17. /TASS/. Russia will supply Venezuela’s army with more than 16,000 field rations, a military diplomatic source told TASS on Friday.

On Thursday, Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state-run arms exporter, placed information about purchases of 16,500 field rations to be supplied to Venezuela. The initial cost of the contract is 14.38 million rubles (222,091 US dollars).

"The rations will be supplied in the interests of the Venezuelan army," the source said.

According to Rosoboronexport, the rations will be supplied as part of "humanitarian assistance to the Venezuelan government."

The company however refused to comment on this information.

Situation in Venezuela

Juan Guaido, a Venezuelan opposition leader and speaker of the National Assembly, whose appointment to that position had been cancelled by the country’s Supreme Court, declared himself interim president at a rally in the country’s capital, Caracas, on January 23. On the same day, the United States recognized him as an interim president, and the countries of the Lima Group (excluding Mexico) and the Organization of American States followed suit. Venezuela's incumbent President Nicolas Maduro blasted the move as an attempted coup and announced cutting diplomatic ties with the United States.

Most European Union member states recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president. Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Syria and Turkey voiced support for Maduro.