Russia Seeks to Expand Naval Presence in the Mediterranean
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.
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