DISINFO: There is no reliable evidence of Russians fighting in Libya
SUMMARY
At the moment there is not a single Russian soldier in the war zone in Libya. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not informed of reliable data on Russian citizens participating in clashes on Libyan territory.
The intent is to create a false idea that claims that Moscow interfered in the Libyan armed confrontation and publicly sided with one of its participants. Russia is doing its best to promote a ceasefire and a political settlement to the crisis in Libya. No intentions of supporting any of the conflicting parties have ever been proven.
RESPONSE
A recurring disinformation narrative about the Wagner group and Russian presence in Libya.
Bloomberg reported, that more than 100 Wagner contractors arrived in Libya in early September to assist General Khalifa Haftar’s offensive against the GNA in Tripoli that began in April. The group is a private army linked to the Kremlin that has been fighting on the front lines of the Libyan war.
The Russian firm Wagner Group is a shadowy mercenary outfit, actively engaged in conflicts on the Kremlin’s behalf from Ukraine to Syria to the Central African Republic. The Wagner group members are mostly ex-service personnel, fought clandestinely in support of Russian forces in Syria and Ukraine, according to Reuters interviews with dozens of contractors, their friends and relatives.
According to Foreign Policy, the group fell into disgrace after the Syrian offensive and has recently been trying to find work in Africa in the training of local militias and with contracts for private security. Three Russian journalists who were investigating Wagner's presence in the Central African Republic were murdered in the summer of 2018. Others were threatened.
To know more about the disinformation message regarding the Wagner group, check our report on a Russian attempt to hide all the pieces of evidence.