Two Libyan officials said Kyiv struck a Russian gas tanker in March using naval drones operating from a covert base in north Africa’s Libya.
AP News, citing the two unnamed officials, said the deal was reportedly “endorsed by the West.”
The report follows recent claims by French outlet RDI that over 200 Ukrainian officers and specialists have been deployed to western Libya with the approval of the Tripoli-based government led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
The deployment is reportedly part of a broader deal covering troop training – particularly in drone warfare – and potential long-term arms cooperation.
The Russian gas tanker referenced by the unnamed officials is the Arctic Metagaz, a tanker belonging to Moscow’s shadow fleet that was struck on March 3, with its hull reportedly found drifting in the Mediterranean for weeks following the attack.
One Libyan military official told AP News the March 3 strike was launched from a base in Tripoli, the Libyan capital.
The Ukrainian bases reportedly include a military air academy in Misrata, where international forces are also present; a drone operations facility near the coastal city of Zawiya, close to key energy infrastructure; and a coordination site in Tripoli used to cooperate with Libyan forces, according to RDI.
Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) has declined Kyiv Post’s request for comments on the matter.
A divided Libya
Libya remains deeply divided between rival administrations following the ousting of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 during the Arab Spring, with the internationally recognized government in Tripoli and a parallel power structure in the east backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar, The Guardian reported.
While Tripoli holds formal international recognition, Haftar controls major oil infrastructure and military assets across Libya, backed by foreign supporters including Russia, while simultaneously engaging European officials over the country’s key migration routes.
The Guardian report, penned by Anas El Gomati, director of the Tripoli-based Sadeq Institute, also said Haftar collaborated with Russian mercenaries, with Moscow reportedly printing counterfeit dinars for him, giving Russia access to hard currency amid financial strains from its war in Ukraine.
Libya’s political fragmentation has also turned the country into a key arena for competing external interests.
Russia has previously accused Ukraine and Western intelligence services of operating in Libya, including in connection with attacks on Russian-linked assets.