Support The Moscow Times!

Dozens of Russian Mercenaries Killed in Libya – Meduza

Alexander Avilov / Moskva News Agency

Between 10 and 35 Russian mercenaries may have died while fighting in Libya’s civil war that has plunged the oil-producing nation into crisis, the Meduza news website has reported, citing unnamed colleagues and veterans.

Forces loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar in April launched an offensive to take Tripoli, held by Libya’s internationally recognized government, upending UN-led plans to broker a political settlement. Russia is reportedly providing unofficial assistance to Haftar with a private army linked to President Vladimir Putin, and an unnamed Russian mercenary commander told Bloomberg that contractors had been killed in action last month.

“They were hit in an airstrike on the frontline,” an unnamed Ukrainian war veteran close to two of the Russian mercenaries killed in Libya told Meduza. The outlet identified these two mercenaries as Artyom Nevyantsev and Ignat Borichev.

One source said the mercenaries who came under attack last month were meant to lead an assault on Tripoli. Another speculated that Libyan government forces had intentionally struck the Russian mercenaries.

Bloomberg reported that more than 100 mercenaries from the Wagner group arrived at a forward base in Libya in the first week of September to support Haftar’s assault. Wagner is headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman known as “Putin’s chef” for his Kremlin catering contracts.

Various sources told Meduza that the casualties came mostly from central Russia’s Sverdlovsk region and that their bodies will not be repatriated until late October. At least two combatants were reported to have been transported for burial back home.

Libya's conflict has increasingly become a proxy war between foreign powers, which have been backing various armed groups since the 2011 uprising against Muammar Gaddafi. Haftar’s campaign has displaced more than 120,000 people and derailed years of UN peace efforts but gone nowhere as his forces have been unable to breach Tripoli's southern suburbs.

Reuters contributed reporting to this article.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more