MOSCOW (Dispatches) -- Russia said on Friday the U.S. is using aid deliveries to Venezuela as a ploy to carry out military action against President Nicolas Maduro's government.
The Kremlin's Foreign Ministry said America had deployed special forces and equipment near the South American nation and accused Washington of a "dangerous provocation”.
Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed to efforts by opposition leader Juan Guaido's planned bid on Saturday to pick up U.S. "aid” being stockpiled on the Colombian border.
Guaido's intentions to bring the supplies across the border are aimed at provoking clashes, she said, to provide "a convenient pretext for conducting military action”.
Russia is a key supporter of Maduro's government and has repeatedly warned of Washington’s plans to carry out a coup in Venezuela.
Venezuelan Deputy Foreign Minister Ivan Gil said at a meeting in the upper chamber of the Russian parliament on Friday that Maduro is "constantly in touch” with President Vladimir Putin on the phone.   
He thanked Russia for a recent shipment of medicine but reiterated the government stance that there is no humanitarian crisis in the South American country.
On Thursday, Guaido set out in a convoy to collect what is said to be U.S.-supplied food and medicine stockpiled in Colombia, vowing to bring in the aid by Saturday.
Maduro has closed the border with Brazil to prevent the entry of aid and the military has beefed up security at the Colombian border.
Zakharova said that the U.S. had moved special forces and military equipment "closer to Venezuelan territory” and was considering large-scale weapons purchases to arm the opposition.
Noting that it had been five years since the Ukrainian turmoil that ousted a Russian-backed leader - which Moscow has accused the U.S. of orchestrating - Zakharova said Washington was preparing for more regime change in Venezuela.
"It seems that in Washington there is nothing to mark the fifth anniversary of the coup d'etat in Ukraine, so they decided to hold a new coup d'etat,” she said.
She warned that a U.S. military intervention in Venezuela would lead to a "sharp increase in tensions” around the world.
Maduro is refusing to let U.S. supplies in, arguing it would be the first step toward a foreign invasion.  
China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday the "so-called aid" should not be forced into Venezuela, lest it cause violence.  
China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the Venezuelan government has "remained calm and exercised restraint," effectively preventing large-scale clashes.
"If so-called aid material is forced into Venezuela, and then if it causes violence and clashes, it will have serious consequences. This is not something anyone wants to see," Geng said.
"China opposes military intervention in Venezuela, and opposes any actions causing tensions or even unrest," he said.