The war in Libya has been going on for years. It is not a secret and the fact, that Russia in this war is more inclined to support the Libyan National Army of Marshal Khalifa Haftar. Moscow pins hopes on Haftar for some stabilization of the military-political situation in the region. Haftar also benefits from the UAE, Egypt and, less, France and Greece. His main opponent Faiz Saraj, in its turn, supports Turkey.
The American edition of The Drive quotes the statement of the African Command of the US Armed Forces (AFRICOM) About, that Su-24 aircraft with Libyan insignia are in fact piloted and maintained “Russian mercenaries from private military companies, Kremlin-connected”. Omnipresent again “vagnerovtsy”?.. Search for traces of the presence of Russian PMCs in Africa and the Middle East, as we know, has become one of the favorite pastimes of the Western press. Of course, first of all, press attention is riveted on Libya.
So, as evidence of Russian supplies of aircraft to Libya, the American publication cites the coloring of the Su-24: it is designed in gray and white colors of the Russian Aerospace Forces, not in camouflage, used by the Libyan Air Force since the reign of Muammar Gaddafi.
Front-line bomber Su-24 before takeoff. A photo: Russian Ministry of Defense
According to AFRICOM, in total, Russia could supply to Libya at least 14 Su-24 and MiG-29, transferring them to North Africa through the Khmeimim airbase in Syria, on which the aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces are located, participating in the Syrian conflict on the side of President Bashar al-Assad. According to the US military, the exact number of Russian aircraft in the Libyan National Army is unknown, but, at least, two MiG-29s were lost in accidents.
As proof of the presence of the Su-24, the Americans cite the same propaganda video of the Libyan National Army. true, planes on it already have identification marks, used by LNA. Thre Drive also publishes satellite imagery, obtained from Planet Labs. On them you can see 2 Su-24 at Al Jufra airbase in central Libya. In its turn, 18 June, a similar picture was published by the African Command of the US Armed Forces. At the beginning of June 2020 year managed to shoot 4 Su-24 aircraft at Al-Khadim airbase in eastern Libya. The very appearance of the Su-24 in Libya attracts the interest of the American media.
As The Drive writes, initially it was not very clear, when exactly Russian-made aircraft arrived in Libya. However, then satellite images from the Khmeimim airbase in Syria appeared on the Web., which are visible 6 MiG-29 i 5 Su-24 just a few days before their fixation in Libya. In the picture 25 May planes at the Khmeimim base were already absent, which allowed the US military to claim their transfer to North Africa.
Russian-made aircraft based on Al-Jufra. A source: The Drive
The planes arrived in Libya to help the army of Khalifa Haftar, receiving support from the UAE and Egypt. However, troops loyal to Faiz Saraj managed to repel Haftar's offensive on Tripoli, actively using Turkish military aid, including unmanned aerial vehicles Bayraktar TB2 .
Nevertheless, failure of the offensive on Tripoli, According to the American edition, does not mean, that in the future, Khalifa Haftar or his entourage will not want to take revenge. The presence of Russian-made Su-24 aircraft is one of the factors, giving Haftar confidence in his abilities. At least, the more worthy weapons will be at the disposal of the Libyan National Army, the more likely it will eventually go over to a new offensive against the positions of the troops loyal to Faiz Saraj.
It is worth noting, that in general, the interest of the American military in the supply of Russian weapons is not very clear. The Americans themselves arm those, whoever they see fit, around the world. Not lagging behind the Americans and their NATO allies, for example the same Turkey, which supplies its drones to the PNS troops in Libya, and militants in Syria, and the Azerbaijani army.
Video of Su-24 planes and high-ranking officers of the Libyan National Army watching their flight:
Author:Ilya Polonsky
used photos:Twitter/Samir; Twitter / Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
