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On May 27th, a video was published showing the Russians in Libya, their aircraft, as well as Pantsir-S1 air defense systems.
The Pantsir-S1 is noteworthy, as it is very evidently the UAE variant of the system, as can be seen on the screengrab from the video below. Who it specifically belongs to, and what the glyphs on the side mean comes down to speculation.
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As such, it would appear that, not only did the Russians not abandon Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA), but rather they just arrived.
PMC Wagner column somewhere in #Libya pic.twitter.com/mBwERyCINH
— Aldin ?? (@aldin_ww) May 27, 2020
Naturally, reports immediately surfaced claiming these are troops from the mythical Wagner PMC.
However, a Russian official – Senator Vladimir Dzhabarov said that Russia hasn’t sent any troops to Libya.
Wagner's convoy reportedly heading south of Bani Walid after withdrawal. pic.twitter.com/u9pb7lxpoD
— Status-6 (@Archer83Able) May 27, 2020
Regardless, some claim that they are withdrawing, the video above shows that they’re arriving, but one thing is certain, the propaganda war is on-going in full force.
On the ground, the Government of National Accord (GNA), despite saying that it would not fight the LNA for two days, captured several positions in Tripoli, and there were heavy clashes between the two sides in the south of the city.
عودة الاشتباكات بمحوري كازيرما وطريق المطار بعد فشلهم في التقدم صباح اليوم .
— غصة الخوارج (@LiBya_73) May 27, 2020
الله اكبر الله اكبر #عاجل || قوات البركان تسيطر علي حي الكايخ بالكامل .
— العبيدة الكاسحة (@ja2VQbcf3vihRUD) May 27, 2020
There is calm around Misrata, with some occasional small skirmishes, according to the LNA spokesperson.
عاجل | المتحدث باسم الجيش الليبي: هدوء حذر يسود محاور شرق مصراتة باستثناء مناوشات من وقت لآخر
— العين الإخبارية – عاجل (@AlainBRK) May 27, 2020
Brigadier General Ahmed al-Mesmari also said that the LNA was actually successful in Tripoli, despite the GNA actually capturing various neighborhoods.
عاجل | المتحدث باسم الجيش الليبي: محاور العاصمة طرابلس تشهد تحركات دائمة وقواتنا قادرة على حسم المعركة بنجاح
— العين الإخبارية – عاجل (@AlainBRK) May 27, 2020
He also denied that any of the aircraft that carried out the airstrikes in recent days was newly received, and that all of it was old.
عاجل | المتحدث باسم الجيش الليبي: جميع الطائرات التى قامت بعملية الكرامة قديمة وتم إصلاحها وإدخالها للخدمة مجددا
— العين الإخبارية – عاجل (@AlainBRK) May 27, 2020
المسماري: ننفي استلامنا أي طائرات مقاتلة حديثة خلال السنوات الأخيرة
— سكاي نيوز عربية-عاجل (@SkyNewsArabia_B) May 27, 2020
There are no Russian combat aircraft in Libya, said Viktor Bondarev, head of the Defense and Security Committee of the Federation Council and former commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces, on May 27th.
“If there are planes in Libya, they are not Russian, but Soviet.”
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