People walk at Martyrs’ Square in the early hours of Friday afternoon in Tripoli, Libya, February 5, 2021. Photo: REUTERS/Hazem Ahmed

i24 News – Ukraine has expanded its military activity in Libya, as a shadow conflict with Russia intensifies across the country, according to an investigation by Radio France Internationale.

The report says around 200 Ukrainian personnel are operating in western Libya in coordination with the Tripoli-based government, with deployments at key sites including the Air Force Academy in Misrata. Ukrainian forces are also believed to have access to drone launch areas near the Mellitah Oil and Gas Complex, one of Libya’s main energy hubs.

According to Libyan sources cited in the report, Ukrainian forces carried out strikes on Russian-linked vessels off the Libyan coast. One such strike may have killed Andrey Averianov, a senior Russian intelligence official who was reportedly aboard a tanker disguised as a crew member. The strike is said to have left two dead and several wounded.

The report adds that several Russian intelligence operatives were allegedly traveling aboard the vessel disguised as civilian crew, a tactic sources say is commonly used.

Separately, a fire that disrupted production at Libya’s Al-Sharara oil field has been linked to suspected sabotage, with investigators recovering Russian-made munitions at the scene. No group has been formally blamed but Libyan officials have said that the incidents point to foreign actors operating inside the country.