MOSCOW, August 8. /TASS/. New sanctions Washington plans to impose on Venezuela in the near future will plunge that country into a deep economic crisis, Igor Pshenichnikov, an expert at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS), told TASS on Tuesday.

"US sanctions against Venezuela are just part of the tools used by the US to topple President Nicolas Maduro and bring back the country’s oil industry under the control of American corporations," the expert stressed. In his view, new tougher sanctions will involve "blocking payments for the state-run oil company PDVSA for Venezuela’s oil supplies. By doing so, Washington will plunge the country into a profound economic crisis, as revenues from oil sales are the main source of foreign exchange earnings for the country," Pshenichnikov said.

According to the expert, "the forecasts that, amid tough standoff between the authorities and opposition, a US-inspired military uprising against President Maduro could occur are coming true." "Last Sunday, unidentified individuals attacked the Fuerte Paramacay military base calling this an uprising against Maduro’s dictatorship," he noted. "However, the mutiny failed, the army did not support the mutineers, and Maduro was able to bring the situation under control."

"The rebellion gives the opposition a pretext to foment speculations of the alleged rift in the army," the expert went on to say. "The attack is aimed at splitting the army and creating an illusion in the minds of the military that the army is inclined to support the opposition and is leaving Maduro. They presume that those military servicemen who are still undecided on their political stance will side with the anti-government opposition."

"The failed assault is a trial balloon with an eye towards the future," he added. "More similar attacks should be expected."

In addition to that, Washington’s hand is certainly at work there, the expert noted. "It is hard to fail to see an analogy with the so-called ‘people’s protests’ in 2014 and other color revolutions that were fomented by Washington," he said. "The US will use any tools to topple Maduro - from imposing new sanctions to new attempts to stage a coup or start a civil war."