War-torn African country hosting six Russian military bases denies Ukraine used rival-controlled territory to attack Russian oil tankers

The Government of National Unity’s Ministry of Defence issued the denial on September 12 after CNN reported that Ukrainian naval drone operators were using a military facility in Misrata, northwestern Libya, as a launch point for attacks on Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.

CNN cited a Ukrainian naval drone operator who claimed his unit was operating from Misrata in exchange for training Libyan forces.

The network also quoted a Ukrainian defence intelligence source who said Ukrainian specialists had been deployed to northwestern Libya since the end of 2025.

According to the Libya Observer, the Libyan defence ministry rejected the report, insisting there was “no agreement, arrangement or coordination allowing Misrata Military Base, or any national military facility, to be used as a platform for launching attacks or carrying out military operations of any kind outside the framework of the sovereign duties of the Libyan state.”

It added that no foreign government had received permission to use Libyan territory, airspace, territorial waters or military facilities for hostile operations against another country.

The allegations date back to March 4, 2026, when Russia accused Ukraine of using Libyan territory for maritime drone attacks after the Arctic Metagaz was damaged in the Mediterranean.

In April, French broadcaster RFI reported that more than 200 Ukrainian military officers and specialists were operating in western Libya, including around Misrata, Tripoli and Zawiya, although Kyiv has not officially confirmed their presence.

RFI also linked Ukrainian personnel to the Arctic Metagaz attack and reported that a maritime drone involved in an earlier December 2025 strike on the Russian tanker Qendil had been launched from the Misrata area.

CNN’s September report added testimony from a Ukrainian operator who directly described Misrata as a launch point for operations against Russian shipping.

The dispute comes as Russia maintains a much larger military presence on the other side of Libya’s political divide.

A June 2026 assessment by the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s Tearline project identified an established Russian Africa Corps presence at six Libyan air bases: Al-Khadim, Al-Jufra, Tamanhint, Maaten al-Sarra, Al-Qardabiyah and Brak al-Shati.

Satellite imagery showed construction or rehabilitation of hangars, barracks, runways and other military infrastructure at several of the sites.

Russia has also shown interest in expanding facilities around Tobruk, including its air base and port, which could strengthen Moscow’s logistical position in the Mediterranean and its links to military operations farther south in Africa.

The competing foreign military footprints reflect Libya’s continuing political and military division.

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s Government of National Unity controls much of western Libya, including Tripoli and Misrata, with Türkiye remaining its main foreign military partner.

Eastern Libya is governed by a rival administration led by Prime Minister Osama Hammad and backed by the House of Representatives.

Its military power rests largely with Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army, which controls much of eastern and southern Libya and maintains close ties with Moscow.

Russia has concentrated most of its military presence in territory controlled or influenced by Haftar’s forces, while reports of Ukrainian personnel have centred on western areas under the Tripoli government.