Russian military reroutes from Syria to Libya via Tartus
The Ukrainian military intelligence reports preparations by Russians to transfer military equipment from Syria to Libya. The operation is to be carried out from the port of Tartus.
"At the naval base in the Syrian city of Tartus, the Russians are waiting for warships to remove equipment and weapons," Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) reported on Telegram.
According to intelligence data, mercenaries from the so-called African Corps, controlled by the Russian Ministry of Defense, are among those present in Tartus.
Russians want to use cargo ships
The Ukrainian intelligence stated that on January 5, the large landing ships Ivan Gren and Aleksandr Otrakovsky, as well as the bulk carrier Sparta, are expected to arrive at the port of Tartus.
On January 8, the bulk carrier Sparta II and the tanker Ivan Skobelev are also expected to reach the port. "The Russians plan to use the Sparta and Sparta II cargo ships to transport military equipment and weapons from Syria to Libya," HUR conveyed.
Russian-Syrian cooperation
On Tuesday, the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), Rami Abdulrahman, revealed that following the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime on December 8, 2024, a group of several dozen officers serving in his army was transferred to the eastern part of Libya. Some of them reached the country aboard a Russian military aircraft. These officers likely arrived in the east of Libya, where Russian mercenaries are stationed at the Al-Khadim airbase.
According to the newspaper "The New Arab," Syrians in divided Libya are expected to support the warlord Khalifa Haftar, who controls the eastern part of the country with an informal capital in Benghazi and remains opposed to the UN-recognized Government of National Unity based in Tripoli.
Since Assad's overthrow, Russians have initiated numerous flights to the Al-Khadim base, located in the Libyan desert near Benghazi. In early December, the Italian portal ItaMilRadar, which monitors the movements of airplanes, ships, and vessels in the Mediterranean Sea, reported that Russia is moving large amounts of military equipment from Syria to eastern Libya, including S-300 and S-400 air defense systems, as well as about 1,000 soldiers from the Fifth Corps and the 25th Special Armored Division, which have supported Assad's government for years.
