By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
DAMASCUS (Worthy News) – Russia is moving advanced air defense systems and weapons from Syria to Libya following the ouster of long-time Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, a close ally, Libyan officials said Thursday.
Less than two weeks after Assad fled to Moscow, the first Russian cargo planes carrying various military equipment already arrived in Libya, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Yet Russian President Vladimir Putin’s choice of Libya as a fallback location is unsurprising, experts said, as the country is becoming an increasingly important hub for Russian operations in Africa.
Russian troops have been present there for years alongside the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group, a paramilitary organization active in the region.
The fall of Assad gave Putin additional headaches as Syria is no longer seen as a secure base for his troops, according to sources familiar with his thinking.
Consequently, he is now turning to Libya, where he finds a loyal ally in Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar.
The warlord controls much of the country with his forces enjoying Kremlin support. Moscow-supported Wagner Group mercenaries use Haftar’s airbase as a gateway to other African nations.
PORTS DRAWING
High-level Russian officials are reportedly in talks with Haftar about access to ports in the cities of Benghazi and Tobruk.
With the military move underway, there have been questions about whether Russian forces would withdraw from Syria.
Satellite images reviewed by Worthy News apparently showed Russia’s military packing up equipment at one of their key airbases in the country. However, Putin denies that a military withdrawal is underway.
Yet Libya’s cooperation with Russia is causing anxiety in the West. Last year, the director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, expressed concern over Haftar’s collaboration with the Wagner Group.
Washington fears that Libya might finance the paramilitary organization’s wars. “We are working hard to combat the Wagner Group in Africa,” Burns said during a visit to Libya. “The organization poses a threat to Africans across the continent.”
Much remains unclear about Russia’s alleged military presence in Libya. U.S. authorities have not ruled out that Moscow’s latest move is merely about temporary storage for air defense systems and weapons. The American think tank Institute for the Study of War suggests that the relocation from Syria to Libya might be a precautionary measure in case negotiations between Russia and Syria’s new government fail.
According to Syrian expert Jalel Harchaoui of the British think tank Royal United Services Institute, Russia is in a difficult position. “If Russian troops remain in Syria, it will never be as it was before,” he warned.
FOREIGN BASE
“They will struggle to access electricity, food, and water. Running a foreign military base without support from the host country and its community is extremely challenging,” the expert added.
If Russia does permanently withdraw militarily from Syria and establishes itself in Libya, the future remains uncertain.
“It’s entirely possible that we will look back and conclude that Haftar made a grave mistake by allowing Russia in,” Harchaoui stressed. “And all of this would be due to Assad’s ouster.”
Russia’s moves in Syria also come as its troops have been forced to focus their attention on Ukraine since Moscow’s military invaded the country in February 2022.
Moscow needs more military resources for a war that is believed to have killed and injured some 1 million people.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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