Colonel Roman Frolenko, president of the Russian-Venezuelan Chamber of Commerce, has been detained in Venezuela, the Argentine publication Infobae and the US Newsweek have reported.
The operation was carried out by the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence of Venezuela. According to the publications, he was detained on 15 May. Counterintelligence officers searched his home in Caracas, where there was a “group of Cossacks”. All those present in Roman Frolenko’s house were also allegedly detained.
Frolenko, Newsweek writes, presented himself as a member of Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s team in Venezuela, which displeased Ambassador Sergei Melik-Baghdasarov. The diplomat said Frolenko posed as a member of the Russian administration in order to establish ties with local politicians and businessmen.
According to the Infobae source, Frolenko promised business deals with Russian companies in Venezuela and was involved in fraud against businessmen. He is also alleged to have used a forged document saying he was an ambassador.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the agency was aware of a “report of detention” in Venezuela of a group of Russians in that country, the Russian Embassy has sent an official request to the Venezuelan authorities. ” If the detention is confirmed, Russian citizens will certainly be provided with the necessary consular assistance,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Russian-Venezuelan Chamber of Commerce, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, is an autonomous intermediary organisation that declares to promote the development of trade and economic ties between the two countries.