Russia turns to Libya to keep a foothold in the Mediterranean

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad on December 8, rumors have been rife about a possible strengthening of the Russian presence in eastern Libya to compensate for a possible departure from Syria. Vladimir Putin has been entering Cyrenaica for years, but a permanent and significant Russian military presence remains taboo for the authorities, because it is totally unpopular.

For more than a week, foreign observers have noted an unusual intensity of Russian movements in Libya. Satellite images show, on the ground, movements of trucks of military equipment between the cities of Sirte, Benghazi and Sebha (Southern Libya). At work, the Africa Corps, the Russian paramilitary organization which succeeded Wagner in Libya, could transport this equipment to neighboring countries such as Sudan, Chad or Niger, and even to Central and West Africa. On December 8, a plane from the Cham Wings company, belonging to someone close to Bachar…