The Libyan National Army (LNA) denied on Monday allegation of sending Libyan mercenaries to fight alongside Russian forces in the Ukrainian conflict.
Major General Khaled Mahjoub, an LNA media official, told The Libya Update that the army “has nothing to do whatsoever with the Ukrainian war.”
“The Libyan National Army is preoccupied with combating terrorism and the mafias of human smuggling in Libya, especially on the southern border of the country,” Mahjoub said.
The Ukrainian defense ministry claimed on Sunday that “an agreement was reached to send Libyan “volunteers” to Ukraine to take part in hostilities on the side of the Russian Federation” following a recent visit to Moscow by LNA’s Commander Khalifa Haftar to Moscow.
“The transfer of military mercenaries is likely to be carried out at the expense of the private military company “League” (formerly “Wagner”) [via] aircraft of the Russian Air Force,” said the Ukrainian ministry.
⚡️Ukraine: Russia reaches agreement on hiring Libyan mercenaries.
According to Ukraine's Armed Forces, Russia has reached an agreement with Libya’s military commander Khalifa Haftar during his visit to Moscow to recruit Libyan mercenaries to fight in Ukraine.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 20, 2022