June 08, 2020 at 7:00
A Libyan government source revealed new details about the case of the “Russian spies” of the leader of the “Wagner” company who have been detained in Libya since May 2019.
A statement published by the Libyan government “Operation Volcano of Rage” said that “it was the Libyan intelligence that transmitted the communication on the issue of spies Maxim Shogali And Samer Seifan to the Public Prosecution, on charges of committing acts harmful to the security of the state.
The statement added: “It was found that the reasons for the entry of Shogali and Seifan to Libya contradict the reasons mentioned in the Libyan visa.”
He pointed out that “Shogali and Seifan work for the Russian-owned company Vlevsky Astrov, Yevgeny Prevogen, and it is run by the Russian Peter Bystrov.”
According to the statement, “The two spies, Shogali and Seifan, sent daily reports to their chiefs that focused on the military and economic situation in Libya, and they met with the wanted justice more than once.”
The statement revealed that “the Astrov company is working to support what is required for justice Saif Gaddafi, in any upcoming presidential elections in Libya, and to influence the municipal elections to nominate loyalists to Russia.”
The Libyan government source said, “The spies worked to recruit Libyans to gather information and train them to work in the future to influence the Libyan elections.”
According to the statement, the spies “Shogali” and “Seifan” also had “Alexander Prokofiev” and “Constantine and Alexander”, without details.
He pointed out that the spies, “forged seals of companies to complete financial procedures, and a lot of information found in documents and computers, and spy phones are still under investigation.”
The statement indicated that “
A statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry last Wednesday, stressed the need to release Shogali and Saifan, stressing that their continued detention in a prison in the capital, Tripoli, is the biggest obstacle to developing cooperation between the two countries.
It is noteworthy that the Russian government has already defended its citizens, as academic researchers working for a research institution.
However, the Libyan government leaked documents showing that the two individuals mentioned were agents working for Wagner Security Company and the reason for their presence in Libya was for the purpose of conducting field research.
In the context, Al-Arabiya television surprised the event, which broadcasts from the UAE, yesterday, by broadcasting a report confirming the relationship of Wagner’s mercenaries to General Khalifa Haftar. The report talks about bringing in Russian mercenaries to fight alongside Haftar.
The channel, in its newsletter, quoted 5 opposition Syrian sources and a regional source, that during the month of May, Russia accelerated its campaign to recruit Syrian elements to fight in Libya alongside the Libyan National Army forces led by Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter.
Sources described by the channel, quoted by Reuters as “high-ranking” in the Syrian opposition, said that the new recruits, including 300 from Homs, and that these recruitment operations were carried out through a private military contractor, representing a Russian paramilitary organization called “Wagner Group”, under the supervision of the Russian army.
A former member of the Wagner Group said it sent the Syrians for the first time to Libya in 2019 and the fighters were trained at a base in Homs.
Libyan observers expressed their surprise at Al-Arabiya broadcasting the event to this news, stating that it was either a pre-emptive step in response to Tripoli’s offer of Syrian prisoners brought by the UAE to Libya to fight alongside Haftar, or that there was a sharp dispute between the UAE and Russia behind the disavowal of the financing of Wagner’s mercenaries in Libya, especially after The United Arab Emirates condemned the United Nations Committee of Experts for its involvement in the Libyan conflict.
