The United States has alleged that the Russian military flew over a dozen unmarked aircraft to Libya, in an attempt to provide air support for Russian mercenaries who are fighting in Tripoli.
If true, this development marks a major escalation of Russia’s military intervention in the Libyan civil war.
The war has been raging in Libya since
2011, when a popular uprising backed by the West and its allies led to
the demise of the country’s dictator, Muammar Gaddafi. Much of the east
of the country is controlled by the United States-backed Tobruk-led
Government, which is affiliated with the Libyan National Army (LNA) and
its commander, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. Russia also backs the LNA
and is vying with the United States for influence among Haftar’s
commanders and troops. The LNA is fighting against the United
Nations-recognized Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), which is
supported by Qatar and Turkey.
On Tuesday, the Africa Command of the
United States Department of Defense alleged that Russian pilots had
flown military planes to Jufra, an LNA stronghold. The Americans claimed
that the jets had been repainted in Syria to hide their Russian
Federation insignia, before being flown first to Tobruk, in Libya’s
east, and from there to Jufra. According to the Pentagon, the Russian
planes were flown to Libya in order to provide air support to over 1,000
Russian mercenaries who are fighting alongside the LNA.
The mercenaries reportedly belong to the
PMC Wagner (also known as the Wagner Group), a Russian security
contractor with presence on the ground in Syria, eastern Ukraine, the
Central African Republic, and elsewhere. Western officials allege
that Russian private contractor firms like Wagner could not operate
without permission from the Kremlin. According to recent reports, Wagner
personnel have been participating in the LNA’s year-long effort to take
Tripoli from the hands of the GNA and by doing so put an end to the
Libyan civil war. But the offensive has not been going well in recent days, and Wagner forces were reportedly pushed back by Turkish- and Qatari-supported GNA troops.
The US Pentagon alleged that Moscow sent
the Russian military aircraft to Libya in order to “provide close air
support and offensive fires for the Wagner Group PMC that is supporting
the LNA’s fight”. Other commentators have argued
that the main purpose of the mission was to reach the outskirts of
Tripoli and airlift the Russian mercenaries to safety. But Ahmed
Mismari, a spokesman for the LNA, rejected reports of the arrival of
Russian military aircraft to Libya as “media rumors and lies”. He said
that all aircraft used by the LNA were “repaired […] old Libyan jets”.
The Russian military has not commented on the allegations by the US
Pentagon.
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