Hundreds of mercenaries from Russia’s shadowy Wagner Group are operating in Libya, a leaked UN report says.
They have been supporting renegade General Khalifa Haftar’s battle against the Tripoli-based government, it says.
Since 2014, Libya has been split between areas controlled by the sides.
Wagner is believed to have been involved in conflicts in Ukraine, Syria and elsewhere. The Russian government denies any state involvement in the militant group.
The report was compiled by independent monitors for the UN’s Libya sanctions committee. It has not been made public yet but it has been seen by news agencies.
It is the first time the UN has confirmed reports of Wagner’s involvement in Libya, putting the number of operatives at between 800 and 1,000.
The 57-page report says Wagner operatives have been in Libya since October 2018, “providing technical support for the repair of military vehicles and participating in combat operations”.
Its members have been acting as artillery and air observers, as well as “providing electronic countermeasures expertise and deploying as sniper teams”.
The personnel were mainly Russian, but there were also nationals of Belarus, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine, the report said.
Early this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said any nationals in Libya did not represent Moscow, nor were they paid by the state.
The UN report also says that Syrian mercenaries are fighting alongside Gen Haftar.
Source: bbc.com
The post Wagner, shadowy Russian military group, ‘fighting in Libya’ appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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