Libya’s Ministry of Defence has categorically denied reports that a military base in the western city of Misrata was used by Ukrainian forces as a staging ground for drone attacks targeting vessels linked to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet.”

The ministry issued the denial after CNN reported on September 12, citing a Ukrainian military intelligence official and a Ukrainian naval drone operator, that Ukrainian specialists had been operating in northwestern Libya since late 2025.

According to the CNN report, Ukrainian maritime drone operators had used an international military facility in Misrata as a staging area for operations against Russian oil tankers. The report said the alleged arrangement also involved training Libyan forces.

In an official statement published on Facebook, Libya’s Ministry of Defence rejected the allegations, saying there was no agreement, arrangement or coordination permitting the use of the Misrata military base—or any other Libyan military facility—to launch attacks or conduct military operations outside the country’s sovereign missions.

The ministry also said it had not authorized any foreign party to use Libyan territory, military installations, airspace or territorial waters to carry out hostile actions against any state or other party.

It stressed that military cooperation and technical training with friendly countries are conducted exclusively under official and lawful agreements.

The ministry urged media organizations to verify information with competent Libyan authorities and warned against presenting claims attributed to anonymous or unidentified sources as established facts.

CNN reported that Ukrainian military personnel have been present in northwestern Libya since late 2025, citing Ukrainian military sources. The report said the alleged operations were connected to Ukraine’s efforts to disrupt Russia’s maritime oil trade and target vessels associated with the Russian “shadow fleet.”

The presence of Ukrainian military personnel in Libya had previously been reported by other media outlets, although Kyiv had not publicly confirmed the deployment.

The allegations come amid growing international scrutiny of Russia’s “shadow fleet”—a network of vessels used to transport Russian oil and circumvent Western sanctions. Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian maritime infrastructure and vessels it says are helping Moscow evade sanctions.

The claims also highlight Libya’s increasingly complex security environment, where foreign military actors and rival international interests have remained deeply involved since the country’s 2011 civil war.

Libya’s Defence Ministry has not indicated whether it intends to launch an investigation into the allegations. For now, the government’s position is that no foreign military force has been authorized to use Libyan military facilities or territory for offensive operations against another country.

CNN’s account and the Libyan government’s denial could not independently be reconciled, and the reported Ukrainian operations have not been officially acknowledged by Kyiv. (ILKHA)