Russia Deploys Forces For Operations In Africa/Eastern Mediterranean To Al-Khadim Base In Libya – JP

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Since mid-December, following the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December, Moscow’s Antonov AN-124 and Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft have been flying daily from Khmeimim to al-Khadim in eastern Libya, near Haftar-held Benghazi.

The Russians have supplied mercenaries and weapons to General Khalifa Haftar’s forces in al-Khadim for years. Earlier this year, All Eyes on Wagner reported that Russian personnel are now being accommodated in a secure compound near the base.

Moscow’s goal appears to be to find an alternative stopover for its growing military involvement in Africa – and a way to retain its military presence in the Mediterranean. For nearly a decade, the Hmeimim air base and Tartus naval facility on the Syrian coast have served both purposes, reported CNN.

Now the conflict-riven North African nation of Libya is central to Russian efforts to project power into the Mediterranean.

Flight-tracking data analyzed by CNN show more than one flight a day since mid-December – by Moscow’s giant Antonov AN-124 transport planes, as well as Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft – from Hmeimim to al-Khadim, a base near Benghazi in eastern Libya.