Ukrainian troops set up bases in Libya to counter Russia, RFI reports

Presence of Ukrainian officers

According to the outlet’s sources, more than 200 Ukrainian officers and experts are currently on Libyan territory. Their deployment was officially agreed with the government in Tripoli, led by Abdelhamid Dbeibah.

Ukrainian forces are reportedly concentrated in three key locations, including the Air Force Academy in Misrata, where US, Italian, and Turkish military units are also based.

Sources add that another strategic site is a fully equipped base in the city of Zawiya, located near the large Mellitah oil and gas complex. This site provides direct access to the sea and is used to launch aerial and maritime drones.

Ukrainian specialists also use the headquarters of the 111th Brigade in Tripoli to hold coordination meetings with Libyan army representatives.

Terms of cooperation and attacks on Russian tankers

According to sources, the agreement on this presence was signed in October last year at the initiative of a Ukrainian military attaché.

Under the deal, Ukraine is reportedly providing training for Libyan military personnel, focusing on the operation of unmanned systems.

Long-term plans also include arms supplies and the involvement of Ukrainian investments in Libya’s oil sector.

Investigative journalists claim that Ukrainian units are directly involved in strikes on Russian vessels used to bypass international sanctions.

In particular, the report says that on March 4, 2026, an autonomous maritime drone Magura V5 struck the Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz. A similar incident occurred in December 2025 with the oil tanker Kendil, which was attacked 250 kilometers off the coast.

Reactions

Journalists note that official Kyiv and the Libyan government in Tripoli have so far refrained from commenting on the reported findings.

At the same time, Russia had already accused Prime Minister Dbeibah back in autumn 2025 of providing logistical support to Ukrainian groups with the assistance of British intelligence.

Regional political leaders have expressed concern that Libya is becoming another arena of confrontation between Moscow and Kyiv.

Attacks on Russia’s shadow fleet in the Mediterranean

On March 3, 2026, the Russian tanker Arctic Metagaz, carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG), caught fire in the Mediterranean Sea. The vessel was under US and UK sanctions.

Later, Russia described the incident as an act of "international terrorism" and blamed Ukraine.

Earlier, in December 2025, Ukraine’s Security Service struck a tanker from Russia’s shadow fleet in neutral waters of the Mediterranean for the first time. The agency then released footage of the burning vessel, highlighting its ability to reach enemy targets far beyond the Black Sea region.