Cuba rejects U.S. accusation of "massive military" presence in Venezuela

HAVANA, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Cuba on Monday rejected accusations by senior U.S. officials that it has been propping up Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and has now 25,000-strong military personnel in Venezuela.

"Cuba categorically deplores this shameless lie and it also rejects any suggestion there is any degree of political subordination from Venezuela to our nation. Our relations are based on respect and mutual solidarity," said a government statement published on the Cuban Foreign Ministry website.

According to the Caribbean nation, there are over 20,000 Cuban doctors and advisors in Venezuela.

Cuba said the United States is leading a "non-conventional" war against Maduro and its most recent episode was the national blackout Thursday which left most of the country without electricity for days.

Venezuela's government has been struggling to deal with a blackout that has plunged the country in darkness since late Thursday.

The government blames sabotage at a hydroelectric plant by workers colluding with the U.S.-backed right-wing opposition, as part of a plan to incite unrest.

The opposition and the United States said that the power failure is due to corruption and mismanagement.