Russia claims there are Ukrainian military trainers in Libya, but has not provided any public evidence to support the accusations.
Written by: Ayman Ragab
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Borisenko said that Ukrainian military trainers had trained local forces in Libya to operate drones and unmanned surface boats, claims that Moscow has not supported with publicly available evidence and which have not been independently verified.
In remarks carried by the Russian news agency TASS, Borisenko said that Ukrainian military personnel are being deployed in a number of African countries with the aim of “opening a second front” against Russia.
Cooperation with armed groups
He added that drone instructors are active in both Libya and Mali, claiming that they cooperate with armed groups. He also alleged the presence of “Ukrainian mercenaries” in Sudan who participated alongside the Rapid Support Forces during military operations in the city of El Fasher.
The Russian official did not provide any public evidence to support these claims.
Borisenko linked the alleged presence of Ukrainian trainers in Libya to an incident on March 3, in which the Russian liquefied natural gas tanker “Arctic Metagas” was hit by explosions and a fire off the coast of Sirte in the Mediterranean Sea.
Russian authorities had previously indicated the possibility that the tanker was attacked using drones or unmanned boats, but they did not identify those responsible for the incident or provide evidence to support that hypothesis.
Tensions persist between Moscow and Kyiv
These statements come amid ongoing tensions between Moscow and Kyiv, and in the context of competition for influence in Africa. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had previously accused Western countries of supporting Ukrainian activities on the continent with the aim of undermining Russia's relations with Sahel countries.
So far, neither Libyan nor Ukrainian authorities have issued any official comment on Borisenko’s statements, which remain unsupported by public evidence and have not been independently verified.
