CARACAS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th March, 2019) The US Air Force has boosted its signals intelligence around Venezuela by 800 percent, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez has said.

Earlier this week, a number of high-ranked US officials, including President Donald Trump, criticized the arrival of Russian military personnel to Venezuela. Moscow, in its turn, said its military experts were in Venezuela to fulfill obligations under bilateral contracts. The Venezuelan defense minister on Friday noted that the arrival of Russian personnel had resulted in a scandal. Padrino Lopez recalled that Moscow and Caracas had enjoyed military cooperation since 2001, noting nobody should be worried about the partnership aimed at boosting Venezuelan military's combat readiness.

"But there is no sign of this scandal when US military aircraft land in Cucuta [Colombia] or when signals intelligence of the US Air Force around our territory has increased by 800% percent. Nobody speaks out when there are attempts to undermine Venezuela's sovereignty," Padrino Lopez said as quoted on his Twitter.

Tensions in Venezuela escalated on January 23, when opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself an "interim president," disputing President Nicolas Maduro's re-election last year. While the United States has openly backed Guaido, the European Union did not issue a joint statement following suit because the motion was vetoed by Italy, according to a diplomatic source. Despite this, however, many European countries have individually voiced their support for the Venezuelan opposition leader.

Russia, China, Mexico, among other nations, voiced support for Maduro, who, in turn, accused Washington of orchestrating an attempted coup with Guaido's help.

The United States has been seeking to bring humanitarian aid to Venezuela through the Colombian border. However, the US military's involvement in the operation has raised concerns of Venezuela and Russia, among other states, which have suggested that Washington might be arming the Venezuelan opposition and preparing a government overthrow under the guise of a humanitarian campaign.