“I received information that Guaido was under strong pressure on January 5, when he was elected head of parliament, and on January 10, when Nicolas Maduro took office,” the diplomat quoted RIA Novosti.
According to Zaemsky, the Guaido was "pushed very actively towards this step."
"He was just refraining from this, but, apparently, he was crushed," added Zaemsky.
On January 23, during an opposition rally in Caracas, Guaido declared himself acting president of Venezuela.
The United States later called on Maduro to transfer power to the Guaiido.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed support for the legitimate authorities in Venezuela "in the context of an exacerbated domestic political crisis provoked by the outside."