Libyan government: Russian mercenaries withdrew from the front line in Libya
Most of the Russian mercenaries from the private military company Wagner left the front line in Libya after Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdogan called for a ceasefire in Libya, reports the news agency Anadolu, citing Nasser Ammar, a representative Libya’s Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, who is supported by the UN.
According to him, the mercenaries, who allegedly fight on the side of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, went by helicopter to the Al-Kufra military base in the south of the country. He estimated that there were around 500 Russians.
Earlier this year, Putin and Erdogan proposed a cease-fire in Libya beginning January 12. Haftar rejected the offer.
Turkey, like the UN, supports the al-Sarraj government in Libya. Erdogan claimed that there are 2,000 mercenaries from the Russian private military company Wagner, who fight on Haftar's side.
On January 11, Putin, responding to a question about Wagner mercenaries in Libya, said that there may be Russians involved in hostilities in the country, but they do not represent Russia's interests. They "do not receive money from the Russian state," the president stressed.