Sanctioned Russian Military Cargo Ship Shows Up in Libya
A sanctioned Russian military cargo vessel has appeared in Libya after a closely-watched voyage through the Baltic and the English Channel. The Mys Zhelaniya, a 17,000 dwt geared freighter, has been spotted by satellite alongside at Tobruk, a port controlled by the militia forces of Libyan-American warlord Khalifa Haftar.
Mys Zhelaniya started her voyage at the port of Baltiysk in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Baltiysk is an important naval base for the Russian Baltic Fleet, and its port activity is dominated by military operations. She departed in convoy with a notorious sanctioned Russian vessel, the Sparta IV, escorted by the Udaloy-class destroyer Severomorsk - a high-end warship, potentially signifying a high-end cargo shipment.
The Mys Zhelaniya called at Tobruk, while Sparta IV continued onwards to Syria - a familiar run for the "Syria Express," the sustainment service that provided arms and supplies for Russia's now-defunct naval presence at Tartus. Both ships broadcast their positions via AIS throughout most of the voyage, with only limited attempts to obfuscate their movements: they initially broadcast their destination as Port Said, but were generally assumed to be headed to Syria.
Mys Zhelaniya is sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for her relationship with Transstroy LLC, a Russian shipping company connected to sanctioned energy projects on Russia's Arctic coastline.
Russia supported Haftar's militia in its fight for control of Libya, and remains on friendly terms. The militia's control of Tobruk, and the occasional port calls of Russian military vessels at the port, have inspired speculation that the harbor might become a replacement base for the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean. In the interim, it is believed to be a transfer point for military cargoes destined for Russia's Africa Corps - a nationalized successor to the Wagner Group's mercenary operation in Africa, which has been rebranded and absorbed into the Russian military hierarchy. The Africa Corps has operated in support of Haftar's ambitions in southern Libya since 2024, according to Bloomsbury Intelligence.
Russia operates out of a string of Libyan bases in the region and has reactivated disused facilities to further its reach, notably the abandoned Matan al-Sarra base - a remote, forsaken outpost near the border with Chad. Its runways are visibly cracked by the sun and half its buildings buried in the desert sand, but clear signs of life have sprung up in a nearby support camp. These far-reaching operations are supported by cargo shipments through Tartus, analysts say.
Top image: Mys Zhelaniya at Archangelsk, 2024 (VesselFinder)
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