MILLIONS have been prepared to defend Venezuela in a “Bolivarian Shield,” with the country’s armed forces and civilian militia conducting exercises this weekend.

President Nicolas Maduro said that the two-day manoeuvres were aimed at fending off “terrorist aggression” from Washington and regional enemies seeking to undermine the Bolivarian revolution.

It was the first time that the exercises have taken place since a law change which incorporated the country’s national civilian militia into Venezuela’s official defences.

“We start the 2020 Bolivarian Shield exercise with the deployment of our glorious Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), which maintains a military-civic union with more than 2,300,000 mobilised combatants,” Mr Maduro said.

He told crowds that Venezuelans stand in “permanent struggle” against imperialist aggression and warned the US: “Venezuelans do not give up, nor will we ever give up. We always overcome.”

The exercises come as the US increases pressure on Venezuela, with more sanctions amounting to a near total embargo.

Last week Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the US sanctions regime as “crimes against humanity.” 

On Saturday, hapless would-be usurper Juan Guaido, who declared himself interim president in January last year, made yet another appeal to Venezuela’s military to switch their allegiance from Mr Maduro to him.

But he was rebuffed again, days after he was met by hundreds of angry Venezuelans at Caracas International airport, who branded him a “fascist” as he returned from attempts to generate support for a coup from Western states.