MOSCOW: Russian army officials, including Deputy Minister for Defense Affairs, have arrived in Libya following receiving an invite from Khalifa Haftar, Western media reported on Tuesday. Haftar backs the country’s eastern administration, whose forces guard the oil infrastructure in Libya.
Russian Military Officials Visit Libya
Russian Defense Ministry said that it is the first official trip of a Russian army delegation to the African country. It added the trip, led by the Deputy Defense Minister, was arranged following dialogue with Libya at the Army-2023 expo and International Security in Moscow earlier in August.
“During the trip, it is scheduled to discuss aspects for cooperation in combating terrorism and other matters of joint action,” it said.
The talks came amid a transformed focus on Moscow’s activities in the African region after Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video that his men were making the region “freer.”
AFP reported that the Wagner group maintains a strong army presence in African content, where it has partnered with several countries, including the Central African Republic and Mali.
