Nato country Italy worried Putin makes Libya his new springboard to Africa
Russia controls four airports in Libya, which are located in the area controlled by the warlord Khalifa Haftar. The bases are located on the coast and extend into the hinterland.
Image: LiveUAMap/phi
The largest base is Gardabya Airport (1) near the port city of Sirte, which is used for both military and civilian purposes. Haftar's soldiers only recaptured the base in January 2020 after the so-called Islamic State moved in there in 2015.
Image: Google Earth
To the east of the port city of Benghazi is the Al-Khadim airfield (2), which has long been a springboard for members of the Wagner Group on their way to the Central African Republic, where they operate the Ndassima gold mine.
Image: Google Earth
The al-Jufra base (3) was used by the Libyan Air Force from 1969 until the outbreak of the civil war in 2011. Russian transport planes from Syria landed here in December 2024, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Image: Google Earth
The Brak ash-Shati' airfield (4) also serves as an airbase. Russian construction workers have been expanding it since the beginning of 2024, writes the British "Telegraph".
Image: Google Earth
Russia controls four airports in Libya, which are located in the area controlled by the warlord Khalifa Haftar. The bases are located on the coast and extend into the hinterland.
Image: LiveUAMap/phi
The largest base is Gardabya Airport (1) near the port city of Sirte, which is used for both military and civilian purposes. Haftar's soldiers only recaptured the base in January 2020 after the so-called Islamic State moved in there in 2015.
Image: Google Earth
To the east of the port city of Benghazi is the Al-Khadim airfield (2), which has long been a springboard for members of the Wagner Group on their way to the Central African Republic, where they operate the Ndassima gold mine.
Image: Google Earth
The al-Jufra base (3) was used by the Libyan Air Force from 1969 until the outbreak of the civil war in 2011. Russian transport planes from Syria landed here in December 2024, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Image: Google Earth
The Brak ash-Shati' airfield (4) also serves as an airbase. Russian construction workers have been expanding it since the beginning of 2024, writes the British "Telegraph".
Image: Google Earth
Russia is mining for gold in the Central African Republic and supporting the regimes in Mali and Niger. After the upheaval in Syria, Libya is now set to become the new springboard to Africa. Italy is alarmed.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- While the Russian army is withdrawing equipment from Syria, new material is reaching its bases in Libya.
- Moscow is using these four airfields and this port.
- After the upheaval in Syria, Russia needs the bases in Libya as a springboard for operations in Central Africa.
- "Not good" - this is how Italy's defense minister comments on Russia's activities on its doorstep.
- It is unclear how NATO would react if the Russian Mediterranean fleet were moved to Tobruk and what agreements have been made with Turkey, which is of local importance.
The Russians are coming. They disembark from ships in the port of Tobruk or land at one of the four airports that Moscow's men control in Libya. The Il-76 or An-124 aircraft come from Syria, from Moscow, but also from Minsk. The "Libya Observer" is amazed at the veritable "air bridges" that are being created.
And these Russians have obviously come to stay. The S-300 and S-400 air defense systems are being deployed from Syria to the North African country, the Wall Street Journal reports, backing up this statement with satellite images - see video below.
At the destination, the Libyan officers sometimes only find out about the visit when the Russians are already in the air, a source tells the New York Times. After the fall of Bashar al-Assad, many private planes also flew from Syria to Libya, the source adds.
Springboard to Africa
The arrival of the Russians is not only viewed with suspicion by Tripoli. It is home to the internationally recognized government of national unity under Fayiz as-Sarraj, which concluded a ceasefire in 2020 with the warlord Khalifa Haftar, who controls the east of the country and is protected by the Kremlin.
In return, Moscow is not only allowed to use the port of Tobruk, but also at least four airfields - see picture gallery at the top. After the fall of Syria and the abandonment of the bases there, the value of the bases in Libya skyrocketed because they are essential for supplying Russian forces in Africa.
The British "Telegraph " reported on Russian efforts to expand the bases in Libya even before Assad's fall. "Russia has already turned Libya into an alternative for its Syrian bases," attests the American Enterprise Institute think tank.
Italy's defense minister: "This is not good"
Another Mediterranean country is not at all enthusiastic about this development: Italy. "Moscow is moving its resources from its Syrian base in Tartus to Libya," explains Defense Minister Guido Crosetto to La Repubblica."This is not good."
He added: "Russian ships and submarines in the Mediterranean are always a concern, and even more so when they are only two steps away from us instead of 1,000 kilometers." Moscow has allegedly arranged a formal use of the port of Tobruk with General Haftar, adds "Defense News" and asks experts on the subject.
"We don't know if the warships from Tartus will show up in Libya," says Jalel Harchaoui from the London-based think tank Royal United Services Institute, "but it does look like Russia is increasing its presence there."
How will NATO react if Putin's fleet moves to Tobruk?
If Putin's Mediterranean fleet anchors in Tobruk, Nato and the US would interpret this as a "brazen gesture" and a "sign" that they can no longer work with General Haftar. "The question is: will the US and the UK then resort to coercion?"
Claudia Gazzini reminds us that Putin is once again dealing with a power in Libya that he has already crossed in Syria: Ankara is a key supporter of the recognized government that Haftar fought against. "You would need Turkish approval," explains the analyst from the Brussels-based think tank Crisis Group.
Gazzini adds: "I can't imagine that the Turks and the Russians haven't discussed the matter yet."