The French newspaper Le Point revealed Russian activity in eastern Libya by sea, represented by the arrival of shipments of equipment and weapons to the city of Tobruk.
The newspaper said that the equipment arrived in anticipation of the deployment of African Legion members and it is the same equipment that was sent to Niger and Burkina Faso, noting that two ships, “Ivan Green and Alexander Otrakovsky,” were docked in the port of Tobruk, coming from the Russian naval base in Tartus in Syria.
The newspaper added that the two military ships were struggling in the Black Sea to bring logistical and artillery equipment in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
According to Bloomberg, Russia is working to form a new combat group under the name “African Legion,” with a strength of 20,000 soldiers, receiving direct instructions from the Ministry of Defense in Moscow to carry out operations in five African countries.
The agency added that by mid-2024, the “African Legion” will work in Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali, the Central African Republic and Niger, and will assume the work of the Wagner Military Company.
According to the agency, the Legion will take the Central African Republic as its new regional headquarters, revealing Moscow’s plans to recruit former Wagner fighters as well as new recruits to join the Legion.