Russian authorities in late April apprehended a high-ranking defence official on charges of large-scale bribery. An inquiry that led to the arrest of Maj. Gen. Timur Ivanov excavated a trail of corruption and the Kremlin’s ongoing efforts to expand its power in Libya, The Libyan Observer newspaper said.
The investigation into Ivanov, who is accountable for the construction work of the Ministry of Defense, revealed his connection with the “African Legion,” which collaborates directly with Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the Libyan National Army (LNA) leader established in Benghazi.
Haftar is dedicated to seizing Tripoli and overturning Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord.
The African Legion was formed after late 2023 meetings between Libyan and Russian representatives, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Haftar, who requested additional backing for his side of Libya’s continuing civil war. The new group’s headquarters will be in Libya. It is anticipated to be activated this summer and also will perform in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Mali and Niger, according to a Military Africa story based on a writing by Russian newspaper Vedomosti.
The African Legion will be instantly subordinate to Russia’s Ministry of Defense. It will consist of roughly 50,000 former members of Russia’s paramilitary Wagner Group — now understood as the Africa Corps — and private security contractors linked with Russian businesses working in Africa. The Kremlin’s strategic intent is to bolster its influence in the African continent, where it already owns a portion of diamond mines, oil reserves, and useful mineral deposits, leveraging military strength to connect and expand its interests in the region.
Russia already intends to build a naval command at the Libyan port city of Tobruk, where its detectives could influence traffic across the Mediterranean, boost smuggling and perhaps disrupt shipping, Newsweek said. African Legion members will make a monthly salary of 280,000 rubles (roughly $3,100), higher than earnings previously acquired by Wagner fighters.
The African Legion is completely distinct from Wagner, which has trained corps under Haftar since at least 2018. Wagner has stayed in Libya after the August 2023 death of its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and critics believe the group will stay — as Africa Corps. Haftar requires Wagner. Furthermore, while he’s hosting them in Libya, [Wagner] can exploit its position to prop up operations in Syria, Sudan and elsewhere.
The group also operates its position to traffic drugs from Syria, traffic migrants and illegally ferry gold. Libya is a hugely promising area for the company. In mid-April, Africa Corps soldiers and military equipment started arriving via cargo planes at Brak al-Shati in southern Libya and cargo ships at Tobruk. The 6,000 lots of military equipment included light and serious vehicles such as pickups, and ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft artillery Previous Russian shipments included radar tools, communications devices and T-72 tanks. The group’s soldiers also are personally entangled in the supercharged fuel smuggling procedure gripping Libya.
