The Ukraine War’s Growing African Front
Three Russian ships have been hit and disabled by drones in the Mediterranean in the past 12 months, with reported Ukrainian attacks appearing to be part of Kyiv’s campaign against Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers and merchantmen breaking international sanctions. The Ukrainian government has not publicly acknowledged attacking Russian ships or having units in the region, apart from a sea drone that ran ashore at Lefkada, but the Associated Press and Radio France International reported, citing anonymous sources, that Ukraine has a 200-strong drone unit operating in Tripoli, Zawiya and Misratah. Russia’s Libyan deployment stretches back 10 years, and Russian forces are deployed in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, and Niger, where they support governments in return for mining contracts.
Why it matters: The article shows that sanctions enforcement against Russia’s shadow fleet is entangled with military competition in Libya and Africa, a geoeconomic and security dynamic.