Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for an end to the "abuses" targeting the top leadership in Venezuela during a public statement on Friday. The Russian diplomat demanded the immediate liberation of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, insisting that the couple be set free without delay.

Lavrov further required that the misconduct faced by the Venezuelan president and his spouse not be repeated. The intervention marks a direct move by Moscow to secure the release of its ally in Caracas.