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According to rferl.org, the United States said that Moscow had sent its fighter jets to Libya to help Russian mercenaries assist in the fight against the internationally recognized Libyan government.
The news of the Russian fighters deployed in Libya could have a great impact on the military conflict in which the forces of the Libyan National Army (LNA) of Khalifa Haftar and the United States Government (NSV) recognized by the United Nations are involved. .
The conflict involved various regional actors. Russia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates support Kh. Haftar goals.
Turkey, which sent troops, drones and mercenaries from Syria to Libya in January, officially supports the official Tripoli government. Qatar and Italy share this opinion.
Libya is subject to a United Nations arms embargo, and on May 26, the United States Army Headquarters for Africa (AFRICOM) said it learned that Russia had recently dispatched fighter jets to Libya via Syria to assist Marshal Kh. Russian employees of the Vagner group led by a trustee of Russian President Vladimir Putin are helping Haftar’s forces.
“The world heard Mr. Haftar declare that he was about to unleash a new air campaign. That will be #Russian mercenary pilots flying Russian-supplied aircraft to bomb #Libyans“
– Gen. Townsend, commander of AFRICOM
—–
Launch: https://t.co/HpLdwUJxcr
Photos: https://t.co/raTal1LKPa pic.twitter.com/3P1IPQsLvo– AFRICOM OF USA USA (@USAfricaCommand) May 26, 2020
According to the Americans, fighter jets in Syria have been repainted to hide signs of military aviation in the Russian Federation.
In a May 27 recording on Twitter, representatives of AFRICOM added that the Mig-29 and Su-24 fighters with insignia of the Russian Air Force left Russian territory “in more than a day.”
As soon as they landed at the Russian military base at Hmeimime in western Syria, the Mig-29 fighter jets “were quickly repainted and ran out of national marks.”
In another tweet, AFRICOM said the fighters were being transported by “Russian military personnel” and that they were accompanied to Libya by “Russian fighters” deployed in Syria.
MORE: For several days in May, the Russian MiG 29 and SU-24 fighters departed from Russia. At that time, all aircraft have marks of the Russian Federation Air Force. After landing at Khmeimin Air Base in Syria, the MiG 29s are repainted and emerge without national markings. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/ghgpKe9rDo
– AFRICOM OF USA USA (@USAfricaCommand) May 27, 2020
The planes first refueled in eastern Libya near Tobruk: “At least 14 repainted Russian planes continued to take off at the Al Jufra military base” in central Libya, where Kh is located. Haftar forces.
Kh. Haftar force spokesman Ahmed Mismari denies the arrival of the fighters and called it “rumors and lies in the media,” reports Reuters.
Viktor Bondariov, chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the Council of the Russian Federation, dismisses the Americans’ statements as “nonsense.”
“If there are fighter jets in Libya, they are Soviet, not Russian,” Bondariov added.
Vladimir Jabarov, first vice chair of the Federation Council’s international relations committee, says that Russia has not sent military personnel to Libya and that the lower house of the Russian parliament has not received a request to approve such actions.
This is not the first time that Vagner mercenaries close to the Kremlin have been associated with helping Kh. Haftar forces. In early May, the United Nations estimated that the number of Russian troops recruited in Libya ranged from 800 to 1,200.
Bondariov and Jabarov’s comments are Moscow’s latest attempt to deny that the Russian authorities are responsible for any deployment of forces or equipment.
AFRICOM Commander General Stephen Townsend said on May 26: “For too long, Russia has denied having contributed to the ongoing conflict in Libya. Well that’s undeniable. We have seen Russia fly fourth generation fighters to Libya, we have seen every step. “
Libya, which has abundant oil reserves, is at the epicenter of a civil war after the overthrow and assassination of long-time dictator Muammar Qaddafi during a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.
Kh. Haftar, which controls the country’s eastern territories, seeks to take over the country’s capital, Tripoli, from the official government. With Turkey stepping up support for its opponents, the Marshal’s forces have lost control of even some western cities and a major base in the past two months.
The United Nations (UN) has said it is “alarmingly alarming” that the United States has recently deployed fighter jets in Libya to help Russian mercenaries fighting on the side of General Khalifa Haftar.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said the allegations, if proven, signify a “terrible violation of the arms embargo on Libya.” The embargo was imposed by the UN in 2011.
Without specifically mentioning Russia, Dujarric said “there has been an increase in reports of rapes in recent weeks, with the transport of prohibited weapons by land, air and sea almost daily.”
“Increasing embargo violations will only intensify fighting in Libya, which will have catastrophic consequences for the Libyan people,” said Dujarric.
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