CARACAS, Venezuela, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he had bought short-range missiles from Russia.
Returning from a nine-country trip, Chavez spoke of his military purchases on national TV Friday, CNN reported.
"By the way, we signed some military agreements with Russia," the president said on Globovision, Caracas. "Soon will arrive some little rockets."
Chavez, who opposes a U.S. plan to increase its military presence in Colombia, said the missiles have a range of about 185 miles. That would put within firing range parts of Colombia as well as American military installations off Venezuela's coast.
But Chavez said the rockets would be used solely to defend Venezuela.
"We are not going to attack anyone," he said. "Those are only defense instruments because we are going to defend the nation from any threat, from wherever it comes."
Chavez visited Libya, Algeria, Spain, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Italy, Syria and Iran before ending his tour in Russia. On Thursday, Venezuela became the third country, after Russia and Nicaragua, to recognize the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.
