Russia Seeks to Expand Naval Presence in the Mediterranean
U.S. officials expected to visit Libya to lobby against Russian presence
As the U.S. and Russia vie for greater influence in Africa, Moscow is seeking access for its warships to a Mediterranean port in Libya that could expand its naval footprint in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s backyard.
Senior Russian officials, including Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, met with Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar in recent weeks to discuss long-term docking rights in areas he controls in the war-torn country’s east, according to Libyan officials and advisers. The Russians have requested access to the ports of either Benghazi or Tobruk, the Libyan officials and advisers said, both of which are located less than 400 miles from Greece and Italy.
The talks with Haftar over port access come as the Kremlin seeks to deepen its influence in Africa and outmaneuver the U.S., which has been pressing African states to join the Western alliance in isolating Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Russian military and security groups loyal to the Kremlin are also moving to take control of the Africa-based military units and assets belonging to the Wagner paramilitary group in the wake of the death of its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, last month. Prigozhin built a presence in a half-dozen countries in the Middle East and Africa, counting some 6,000 fighters who have often provided security to local political leaders, sometimes in return for access to valuable resources.
A joint U.S. diplomatic and military mission is expected to visit Libya later this month to press Haftar to expel Wagner’s mercenaries and encourage him to unify his forces with those controlled by rival factions. The U.S. hopes that would create a buffer zone to rising turmoil in the Sahel, the swath of land that has seen a surge in jihadist activities and a series of coups toppling governments there, say people familiar with the planned trip.
Michael Langley, the commander of the U.S. Africa Command, and Richard Norland, the U.S. special envoy for Libya, are expected to separately meet with Haftar and Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who heads the internationally recognized government based in Tripoli in the country’s west.
A spokesperson for the State Department declined to comment. The U.S. Africa Command didn’t return a request for comment.
Russia’s outreach in Africa appears to have put the West on the defensive in parts of the continent. Over the summer, the U.S. unsuccessfully tried to engineer an end to a deadlock in Niger, where a pro-Russian junta has taken over. The military coup has spurred fears that the U.S. strategy for taking on Islamic militants in the region had been upended, but a U.S. Air Force commander said the U.S. has resumed flying drones for its Niger counterterrorism mission.
“The Russians are in an aggressive expansion mode and the U.S. is just trying to maintain” its footprint in Africa, said Cameron Hudson, a former chief of staff to the U.S. special envoy for Sudan.
Analysts say the Russian advance would allow Moscow to control key energy corridors that could have served as alternatives to its own supplies to Europe. It would also enable the Kremlin to expand its global confrontation with the West.
Libya was Wagner’s first foray into Africa, and Haftar had been a key regional partner for the group. About 1,200 Wagner fighters are stationed in Haftar’s facilities, including at an air base used as a transit hub to other African countries.
Russian officials have told Haftar, whose Libyan National Army controls war-torn Libya’s east, that access to the ports in Benghazi or Tobruk would allow them to refuel, resupply and repair their naval vessels, the Libyan officials and advisers said.
The two ports already have the infrastructure that would support Russia’s requirements. It remains unclear if Moscow wants to further develop the facilities to station personnel, warehouse ammunition or store other supplies there.
While Russia’s request for docking rights in eastern Libya doesn’t immediately pose a threat to NATO members, the concern is that Moscow could eventually scale up its presence there, analysts say.
NATO follows Russian naval movements closely, according to the alliance’s spokesman, Dylan White. “NATO has substantially increased its presence in the Mediterranean, including with the persistent deployment of a U.S. carrier strike group” since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, he said.
While commercial ships can mostly access ports globally without any long-term contracts, access for naval vessels usually requires bilateral agreements. Permanent docking rights are different from full-fledged bases, which usually entail sovereign jurisdiction.
A spokesman for the LNA said he didn’t have any information on Haftar’s discussions with Russian officials over port access. Libya’s Gadhafi regime in 2008 offered Russia access to the ports, but Moscow declined at the time.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Haftar, who has been under pressure from the U.S. to sever ties with the Russians, would accept Moscow’s proposal to dock its naval vessels in either of the ports.
The Kremlin didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Russia, which already controls Syria’s eastern Mediterranean port of Tartus, deployed Slava guided-missile cruisers there immediately after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. At the time, the deployment was interpreted by European nations as an attempt to intimidate NATO.
Libya has been racked with violence since a 2011 uprising ousted longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Armed groups and foreign powers have vied for power since, with a civil war breaking out in 2019. The country remains split between factions in the east and west.
Russia has influence over Haftar, as it offers the warlord protection from Turkish-backed factions based in western Libya. During the meeting with Haftar, Yevkurov agreed to assist Haftar with spare parts, repairs and training for his aging Russian aircraft fleet, people briefed on the meeting said.
Eastern Libya is a vital transit point for Russian aircraft flying from Russia or Syria to sub-Saharan Africa. Current and former African, Russian and Western officials say the deployment of Wagner’s mercenaries in Mali and the Central African Republic wouldn’t have been possible without access to Haftar’s air base. Moscow is also in discussions to set up an air hub in the Central African Republic, according to that country’s security adviser, Fidele Gouandjika.
The chaos in the Sahel is fast turning to Russia’s advantage. In Niger, Wagner has offered help to coup leaders. In Chad, the group’s mercenaries continue to back rebels against the regime of Mahamat Deby. And in Sudan, Wagner started working with militia commander Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is waging a civil war with the military.