Varyag in Tobruk

The “courtesy visits” of the Russian Navy cruiser Varyag and the frigate Shaposhnikov continue. After a stop in Egypt, in Alexandria, today the two ships are in Tobruk, Libya.

LNA’s Navy: Under the directives of His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, to advance the development of the armed forces, particularly the naval forces, the Russian cruiser Fariaj and the frigate Admiral Shabashnikov paid a working visit to the… pic.twitter.com/CLBKRMF4F1

— Jalel Harchaoui جلال حرشاوي (@JMJalel_H) June 17, 2024

Rumors have been circulating persistently for some time that Russia wants to establish a naval base in the Cyrenaica city, and in recent months the port has already been used as a logistical base for Russian mercenary troops present in Libya.

As seen in the photo, the infrastructure of the Tobruk port still leaves much to be desired, but this should not lead to the assumption that it will take a very long time before a potential base can become operational.

Today’s visit is further confirmation of how General Haftar, head of the LNA, is fostering increasingly close contacts with Moscow.

All of this is happening without any Western country taking action to prevent Moscow from establishing a naval base in the middle of the Mediterranean, just a few hundred miles from Souda Bay and Sigonella, the two most important NATO bases in the area.