Russia says it is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela at a moment of unprecedented build-up of military assets threatening the country which possesses the world's largest crude oil reserves.

Responding to a weekend Washington Post report saying that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has requested military assistance from Moscow, especially missiles and radars, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said simply: "We are closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela."

WaPo has indicated that the American military build-up in the southern Caribbean includes 10,000 soldiers and 6,000 sailors, making the total force posture a whopping 16,000 troops.

The publication describes, "U.S. forces in the Caribbean include eight Navy warships, a special operations vessel and a nuclear-powered attack submarine. When the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford arrives in the Caribbean next week, it will bring with it three more warships and more than 4,000 additional troops."

Prior to the carrier group's arrival, these are the warships currently patrolling waters near Venezuela:

• USS Iwo Jima
• USS San Antonio
• USS Stockdale
• USS Jason Dunham
• USS Gravely
• USS Lake Erie
• USS Wichita
• USS Gettysburg

It is not known whether Moscow is actually following through in any way based on Maduro's urgent request - but any extra assistance is likely too little, too late at this point - as it would require significant logistics at a moment Caracas is under direct threat by the Pentagon.

Island-nations off Venezuela have been some large Air Force toys dropped on them in the last days and weeks...

TASS reviews of Moscow's defense ties with the Maduro government, "On October 21, the Russian State Duma ratified the strategic partnership and cooperation treaty between Russia and Venezuela."

The report says further, "According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, this ratification is very important given the unprecedented forceful pressure, including direct military pressure, that the US is exerting on Venezuela."

And Trump might waste these expensive Tomahawks on regime change in a Third World country...why?

But with US sanctions on, and prior examples of interdictions on the high seas, even if Russia or China wanted to quickly assist Maduro as he's under the US bullseye it could prove logistically impossible.

And the reality is that Moscow needs all the missiles in its arsenal as it continues facing down NATO and amid the grinding 'special military operation' inside Ukraine.

Russia is also unlikely to risk getting entangled in a new proxy conflict in America's own backyard, and again with logistical lines that would likely prove a problem, especially now as the US Navy has Venezuela effectively blockaded.