Libya Agrees To Give Ukraine Bases For Strikes On Russian Ships
- 3.04.2026, 14:25
Ukrainian military personnel were assigned to three facilities.
According to an investigation by the French publication RFI (translated by The Moscow Times), Ukraine has forged ties with the Libyan government in Tripoli and established an outpost that now threatens Russian ships traveling through the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea to the Suez Canal. Two Libyan sources said the presence of military personnel from Ukraine had been agreed with the government led by Abdel Hamid Dbeiba. "More than 200 Ukrainian officers and experts are stationed in Libya with the consent of Dbeiba's government. They are working at three main facilities, including the airbase in Misrata," an informant said.
The Ukrainian contingent is spread across three sites. The first is the Misrata airbase, where AFRICOM forces - Turkish and Italian units, as well as British intelligence - are also stationed. The second facility is located in the Mellita area, 50 kilometers from the capital. Infrastructure for launching aerial and maritime drones has been deployed here. "A fully equipped drone launch base has been established in the Mellita area. All works were carried out in the fall of 2025," the source of the publication specified. The third facility is used for coordination between Ukrainian specialists and units of the West Libyan army at the base of the 111th Brigade near Tripoli airport. This facility serves for joint work of Ukrainian specialists with units of the West Libyan army.
The deployment of the Ukrainian contingent occurred after the signing of the agreement in October 2025 on the initiative of the Ukrainian military attaché in Algeria, General Andriy Bayuk. Under the agreement, Ukraine provides training for the Libyan military and supplies of unmanned systems.
Sources say Ukraine has already attacked Russian ships in the Mediterranean Sea twice. On March 4, the gas carrier Arctic Metagaz was attacked. The vessel was carrying liquefied natural gas toward Port Said and was hit by a drone. "The vessel Arctic Metagaz was struck by a Magura V5 maritime drone launched from the Mellita area. The engine room was flooded, causing the vessel to stop," the source told RFI. A similar incident occurred on December 19, 2025. According to an SBU source, a Russian tanker Qendil 250 kilometers off the Libyan coast was attacked by a maritime drone from the territory of Misrata.