Russia plans to establish military bases in Libya

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a drill by the country’s nuclear forces against the possibility of a nuclear attack via video conference in Moscow, Russia on October 25, 2023 [Kremlin Press Office – Anadolu Agency]

The Russian authorities are in talks to establish military bases in Libya, Bloomberg reports.

According to the report, the deal has been negotiated following a meeting between Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and Khalifa Haftar, Libya’s eastern military commander, in Moscow in late September 2023.

The report says Russia may be given docking rights for its warships, most likely at the port city of Tobruk, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

According to Bloomberg’s sources, Haftar needs air defence systems, which Russia can supply. Russia could also help train Libyan air force pilots and Special Forces.

A former US special envoy for Libya, Jonathan Winer, told Bloomberg that the US authorities have been taking the threat of Russia expanding its presence in Libya “very seriously”.

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