US says Russia sent jets to Libya ‘mercenaries’

The US military accused Russia of deploying fighter aircraft to Libya “repainted to camouflage” their origin in support of mercenaries fighting for eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar’s forces.

The allegation came as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday told a Haftar ally that Moscow backed an immediate ceasefire and political talks that would culminate in united governing authorities.

The United States’ fighter jet accusation against Russia raises concerns of a new escalation in the nine-year-long conflict, despite Lavrov’s call for a truce.

“Russian military aircraft are likely to provide close air support and offensive fire,” the US Africa Command (Africom) said in a statement.

NEWS: Russia deploys military fighter aircraft to Libya
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"For too long, Russia has denied the full extent of its involvement in the ongoing Libyan conflict. Well, there is no denying it now." – Gen. Townsend
Release: https://t.co/HpLdwUJxcr
Photos: https://t.co/raTal1LKPa pic.twitter.com/dVtsWKPYZ5

— US AFRICOM (@USAfricaCommand) May 26, 2020

The US statement said the aircraft arrived in Libya “recently” from an airbase in Russia after briefly stopping in Syria, where they were repainted to conceal their Russian origin. 

The Russian defence ministry said it would “not comment right now” on the Africom statement. But Andrei Krasov, a member of the defence committee in Russia’s lower house of parliament, dismissed the allegation as “fake” news.

On Wednesday, Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy head of the upper house’s international affairs committee, said Russia had not sent military personnel to Libya. Interfax news agency cited Dzhabarov as saying that the Russian upper house of parliament had not received a request to approve such a dispatch.

Moscow has long denied any involvement in Libya’s conflict. 

The fighting in Libya has drawn in regional and global powers with what the United Nations described as a huge influx of weapons and fighters in repeated violation of a 2011 arms embargo.

Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt support Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), which launched an offensive 13 months ago ago to seize the capital, Tripoli, from the the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).

However, in recent weeks the GNA has, with extensive Turkish military backing, pushed Haftar back from his foothold in southern Tripoli and other parts of the northwest.

Hundreds of Russian military contractors were reportedly evacuated into central Libya during the past few days after retreating from fighting on the capital’s front lines.