Russia demands ceasefire in Libya as UN reports 1,200 Russian mercenaries on the ground

(Patria) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday called for a ceasefire in Libya, stating that Turkey and Egypt have agreed with Moscow on a joint approach to resolving the conflict.

Lavrov also said that all external actors in the Libyan conflict should create conditions for dialogue between the warring parties in Libya, which Turkey and Egypt officially agreed to after Lavrov held a phone conversation with the foreign ministers of those countries.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to reports of Russian military presence in Libya by claiming that the sources are questionable and the information incorrect, and that they will demand an investigation into the report.

A UN report published in May stated that the Russian private military contractor Wagner Group had mobilized about 1,200 people on the ground in Libya.

Petr Ilichev from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that the data is falsified and that the authors of the report intended to misrepresent Russian policy in the region, Reuters reports.