Reports: 10 To 35 Russian Mercenaries Killed In Libya

A smoke plume rises in Tajoura, south of the Libyan capital Tripoli, June 29, 2019, following a reported airstrike.

VOA: Reports: Up to 35 Russian Mercenaries Killed in Libya

MOSCOW - As many as 35 Russian mercenaries are reported to have been killed in Libya while they were fighting for Khalifa Haftar, the military general most associated with the rule of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi, who launched an offensive earlier this year on the Libyan capital of Tripoli, home to the country’s internationally-recognized government, according to a Russian media.

The mercenaries are thought to work for the Wagner Group, a military contractor run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman nicknamed Putin’s Chef because he holds lucrative Kremlin catering contracts.

Asked by VOA about the reports of the fatalities in an airstrike on the outskirts of Tripoli, where Haftar’s forces have been bogged down for months, Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, said she had “no detailed information” and suggested directing questions to Russia’s defense ministry.

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Update #1: Dozens of Russian Mercenaries Killed in Libya – Meduza (Moscow Times)
Update #2: Falling off the Fence: Russian Mercenaries Join the Battle for Tripoli (Roger McDermott, Jamestown Foundation)

WNU Editor: The original report on Russian mercenaries being killed in Libya is here .... A small price to pay for Tripoli Between 10 and 35 Russian mercenaries have been killed in the Libyan Civil War. We identified several of them. (Meduza).