Libya denies allowing Ukraine to use military bases for Russian ship attacks

The Libyan Ministry of Defense has categorically denied reports that it allowed Ukraine to use military bases within the country to conduct attacks against Russian vessels in the Mediterranean.

The denial follows reports from CNN, which cited Ukrainian military intelligence sources claiming that naval drone operators were deployed in northwestern Libya starting in late 2025. The reports suggested that the military base in Misrata served as a launch point for maritime unmanned surface vehicles targeting Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ of tankers. One report alleged that the use of the base was part of an arrangement to provide training for local forces.

In an official statement, the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity emphasized that there is no agreement, arrangement, or coordination that permits the use of the Misrata base, or any other national military installation, for military operations outside the scope of the sovereign Libyan state’s missions.

The controversy follows an incident in early March where Libyan port authorities reported sudden explosions and a fierce fire on the Russian methane tanker Arctic Metagaz north of the port of Sirte. Moscow has previously accused Kyiv of conducting sea drone attacks launched from the Libyan coast.