The Russian Foreign Ministry today, April 27, has denied publications in the Arab media about the death of April 10 Wagner PMC mercenaries fighting on the side of the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. According to Arab media, during the fighting in the area of the city of Salah ad-Din, the headquarters of the operational management of PMC “Wagner” was destroyed.
“We draw attention to the fact that at the moment in the war zone on the territory of Libya there is not a single Russian soldier. Reliable data on Russian citizens who would take part in the clashes on the territory of Libya and die on the indicated dates were not received by the Foreign Ministry, ”he said. statement Russian Foreign Ministry.
The Foreign Ministry emphasized that “the above-mentioned reports are far from the first speculation on the participation of“ Russian ”PMCs in the intra-Libyan conflict” and such “stuffing” is intended to create a false impression that Moscow allegedly intervened in the inter-Libyan armed confrontation. “In reality, Russia does its utmost to promote a ceasefire and a political settlement of the crisis in Libya. She never demonstrated intentions to support any of the conflicting parties, ”the Foreign Ministry noted.
In addition, today Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov once again emphasized that Moscow intends to continue to assist the two main conflicting forces in Libya in the process of a peaceful settlement. “In the course of all the initiatives that France, Italy and the UAE once took to reanimate a direct dialogue between the parties to the conflict in Libya, we have always called for the principle that decisions should be approved directly by the parties to this conflict, and we will only help them sit down at the negotiating table. In most cases, as, for example, during the Berlin Conference, our calls remained unheard. Nevertheless, Russia will continue to try to help Libya out of this deepest crisis, ”he said during his online lecture for MGIMO students.
Recently, the number of publications in the Arab, Turkish and Western media about the activities of PMC “Wagner” in Libya has increased dramatically. We are talking not only about the battle mentioned by the Russian Foreign Ministry, but also about the alleged recruitment of PMCs to fighters in Syria, their preparation and transfer to Libya, as well as the use of nerve gas by Russian mercenaries in the battles of Salah ad-Din. The latest information was released at the end of last week by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Government of Libyan National Accord Fathi Bashag. In LNA called his statement a lie. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly stated the presence of Russian mercenaries in Libya.
Recall that in January, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted: if there are “Russian citizens in Libya, they do not represent the interests of the Russian state and do not receive money from the Russian state.” A Kommersant source in Libya, familiar with the situation on the front line, called words about the use of nerve gas unlikely, since the positions of the two warring parties are close to each other and in the event of such an attack both could be affected. As for the Russian mercenaries, he said that at the moment he does not observe their presence, although there are several military advisers who do not participate in battles.
Read more about the situation in the country – in the publication “b” “The Syrian Front has shifted to Libya.”
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