Russia is relocating advanced air-defense systems and other sophisticated weaponry from Syria to Libya, US and Libyan officials told The Wall Street Journal. Recent flight data reveals heightened Russian military transport activity. A Russian cargo plane made two Libya-Mali trips within a week, while a Rubistar aircraft carried equipment and likely ammunition from Minsk to Libya on 13 December.
According to these officials, Russian cargo planes have transported air-defense equipment, including radars for S-400 and S-300 anti-air interceptor systems, to bases in eastern Libya under the control of Moscow-backed Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar.
The Wall Street Journal says that Russia has conducted a significant drawdown of its troops, military aircraft, and weaponry from Syria. These bases had served as Moscow’s cornerstone for projecting power in the Middle East and Africa, with the naval base in Tartus being the Russian navy’s sole Mediterranean replenishment and repair point.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov has confirmed that Moscow is in discussions with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group that ousted Assad, regarding the future of Russia’s bases.
Russia already maintains a presence in Libya through the Wagner paramilitary group, which has close ties with Haftar’s Libyan National Army controlling the country’s east. According to US officials, Moscow is considering upgrading facilities in Tobruk to accommodate Russian warships.
A US official said it remains unclear whether the weapons systems, including the S-400 components, will remain in Libya or be transported back to Russia.
Former Russian air force officer Gleb Irisov, who served at Russia’s Khmeimim base in Syria, claimed that using Libya as a refueling stop to Africa would significantly restrict the weight of equipment Moscow can transport, according to WSJ.
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