In early March, Russia accused Ukrainian forces of launching a devastating drone attack against a tanker from secret bases on the coast of Libya. French media outlet RFI on Monday published a report that said Ukraine is indeed operating out of western Libya, with over 200 personnel deployed to three locations.
The Russian tanker Arctic Metagaz, a liquid natural gas (LNG) tanker that belongs to Russia’s sanctions-evading “shadow fleet,” was hit by a drone attack in the Mediterranean on March 3. The ship was carrying 60,000 metric tons of LNG from Murmansk, Russia, to Port Said, Egypt.
The 30-man crew of the Arctic Metagaz was quickly evacuated and the ship was left to drift from waters near Italy to the coast of Libya, with a hole blasted near the waterline.
The Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) sent a tugboat to secure the wrecked tanker, fearing it might leak gas into the sea or collide with an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Sidra. The ship was still adrift as of Tuesday, with a Libyan dive team attempting to salvage it. The Libyan navy also dispatched a patrol boat to warn other ships to avoid the dangerous hulk.
Moscow was quick to accuse Ukraine of attacking the ship from Libya’s coastline, allegedly with assistance from British intelligence. RFI reported on Monday that Ukraine does have a presence in western Libya, operating under a secret agreement signed in October with the internationally recognized government in Tripoli. Libya has two competing governments, with the other one based in the eastern city of Benghazi.
According to RFI, the October agreement allowed Ukrainian forces to operate out of the air force academy in Misrata, a naval base in Zawiya, and a coastal site that is currently being upgraded with stronger fortifications and runways.
In exchange for these bases, Ukraine has agreed to train Libyan forces, especially in the use of drones. Ukraine also has options to sell weapons to the Tripoli government and to make investments in Libyan oil.
RFI’s sources said the Arctic Metagaz was hit by a Ukrainian-made Magura V5 drone, an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) developed to strike Russian naval targets in the Black Sea. The Magura V5 is an 18-foot remote-controlled boat packed with explosives that has proven highly effective against Russian warships.
Sources in Ukrainian security said the Arctic Metagaz was actually the second ship attacked by Ukrainian forces in Libya. The first was a shadow fleet oil tanker called Qendil, which was sailing between Greece and Libya when it was hit by a drone launched from the vicinity of Misrata, Libya.
The Associated Press (AP) said on Tuesday that two Libyan officials substantially confirmed the RFI report, with the added detail that the agreement between Ukraine and the Tripoli government “enjoyed the backing of Western countries, including the United States.”
According to the AP’s sources, U.S. adviser for African affairs Massad Boulos supported the Ukraine deal as part of a plan to reunite Libya under a single government with current Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah keeping his job in Tripoli — and Saddam Haftar, favorite son of Eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar, taking a powerful position as head of the presidential council. Khalifa Haftar is the top military commander for the Benghazi-based government.
The Ukrainian presence in Libya was apparently intended to limit Russian influence in Libya while the reunification plan matures. The AP noted that America, Turkey, Italy, and the United Kingdom all have personnel stationed at the air force academy in Misrata, so they would presumably be aware of the Ukrainian presence.
Neither the Ukrainian nor Libyan governments were willing to comment on the record about the RFI report.
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