British newspaper The Times: Wagner mercenaries are ones who make decisions in fight for control of Libya, and only obey orders of Russian Defense Ministry and the Kremlin.

 Tripoli, 28 February, 2021 (Lana) - The British newspaper "The Times" revealed that the Russian mercenaries in Libya are the ones who make the decisions in the fight for control of Libya, and they only obey the orders of the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Kremlin. 

 The British newspaper said in a lengthy report - through which it highlighted the role of the Russian "Wagner" mercenaries in the Libyan crisis - that the mercenaries, who are subject only to the Russian Defense Ministry and the Kremlin, are responsible, and they no longer pretend to work for Haftar and his senior officers.

 According to the newspaper's report, shortly after the Russian "Wagner" mercenaries appeared on the front lines near Tripoli, officials warned against this matter.

US officials warned Haftar, who had recruited them, that he was making a deal with the Devil. The report said that Haftar, who was determined to seize the capital and install himself as "dictator" of Libya, may end up as their servant, as the newspaper put it.

The report pointed out that the Wagner force, which is estimated at (2000) personnel, deployed across eastern and southern Libya is supported by combat aircraft sent by Russia, pointing out that they were supposed to leave the country last month, but they did not show any inclination to abandon a country that has the largest proven oil reserves. In Africa .

The report touched on the United States during the era of President Biden, which began to pressure the UAE, another Haftar ally, according to the Pentagon, to cut off the Wagner's financial resources, referring to "Mohammed bin Zayed" who had a special relationship with Trump, but it angered American officials. In September 2019, a Turkish drone strike on a Haftar base killed at least three Emirati officers working on the Pantsir missile system - Russia made - according to three Western officials and two Libyan leaders. The report quoted two unnamed officials as saying that the UAE responded by trying to transfer one of the US-made Patriot missile batteries to Libya, which resulted in a reprimand from the United States, as this violated the export agreement and may give Russia access to the US system. The newspaper indicates that the mercenaries failed to control the capital by mid-2020 when Turkey, which supports the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, intensified drone strikes, and Wagner and Haftar forces withdrew, but left behind entire neighborhoods full of mines. According to the report, a spokesman for Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as "Putin's chef" and financier of Wagner's private military company, did not respond to the newspaper's questions.

=Lana=