HAMILTON, Canada

Russia on Monday strongly condemned recent US military action against Venezuela, emphasizing that Washington's actions marked a dangerous return to "lawlessness."

Addressing the Security Council, Russia's UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia said: "The assault against the leader of Venezuela, compounded by the deaths of dozens of Venezuelan and Cuban citizens, in the eyes of many, has become a harbinger of a turn back to the era of lawlessness and US domination by force, chaos and lawlessness."

Nebenzia's remarks came at the emergency session of the council on Venezuela, following recent US military action against Venezuela that resulted in the capture of the country's President, Nicolas Maduro.

"There is no, and can be no justification for the crime cynically perpetrated by the United States in Caracas, and we firmly condemn the US act of armed aggression against Venezuela in breach of all international legal norms," he stressed.

He called on Washington to "immediately release the legitimately elected president of an independent state and his spouse," noting that "any problems existing or conflicts between the United States and Venezuela need to be resolved through dialogue."

Nebenzia said the US is openly pursuing control over Venezuela's resources, and said Moscow was "particularly appalled by the unparalleled cynicism, which Washington did not even attempt to conceal the true aims of its criminal operation, namely the establishment of unbridled control over Venezuela's natural resources, and the assertion of their hegemonic ambitions."

"In this way, Washington is generating fresh momentum for neocolonialism and for imperialism," he added.

Warning of broader consequences, Nebenzia said: "The bell is ringing for all UN member states and for the future of the organization itself," adding that silence would amount to "essentially blessing ongoing encroachments of international law."

"We cannot allow the United States to proclaim itself as some kind of a supreme judge," he said.

The emergency session comes following the permanent mission of Venezuela's official request, sent on Jan. 3, with support from China and Russia.