With the destiny of its navy bases in Syria unsure, Russia has been sending cargo planes in latest days to Libya, the place it additionally maintains a navy foothold within the Middle East, Libyan officers stated.
A navy official at al-Khadim air base in jap Libya stated {that a} half-dozen Russian planes — some coming from Russia and a few from Syria — had arrived carrying navy tools since Dec. 8, when Syrian rebels overthrew Russia’s ally, Bashar al-Assad.
The nature of their cargo couldn’t be confirmed independently, however publicly obtainable flight information present heavier than standard site visitors prior to now week between Russia or Belarus and Libya’s east, which is managed by a Kremlin-backed navy chief.
At least 4 Russian Il-76 cargo planes have made journeys from Moscow or Minsk to Benghazi, in jap Libya, and again since final Thursday.
Russia’s bases in western Syria — a significant naval base and an air base — have been essential to its capacity to challenge energy within the Middle East. Moscow has been negotiating with Syria’s new leaders to maintain its bases there, however up to now there was no settlement.
“We’ll have to determine for ourselves how {our relationships} will look with these political forces that now management and can management the scenario within the nation sooner or later,” President Vladimir V. Putin stated on Thursday in his year-end information convention. “Our pursuits have to coincide.”
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