Libya’s Defense Ministry rejects a CNN report that Ukrainian personnel used a Misrata military facility against Russia-linked vessels; neither the alleged launch activity nor an authorization agreement is established by public evidence.
By Land Offset PAI
Sept. 13, 2026
TRIPOLI, Libya — Libya’s Ministry of Defense has denied that Misrata Military Base, or any other national military facility, was available for foreign attacks after CNN reported that a Ukrainian naval-drone operator said his unit used an international military base in Misrata against vessels linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet.” 1 2
In a Sept. 12 statement, the ministry said there was no agreement, arrangement or coordination permitting the base to be used to launch attacks or conduct military operations outside Libya’s sovereign missions. It also said no foreign party had been authorized to use Libyan territory, facilities, airspace or territorial waters for hostile action against another state or party. 1
CNN reported Sept. 12 that a Ukrainian Defense Intelligence source said Ukrainian operators had been stationed in northwestern Libya since late 2025. The network attributed the specific Misrata claim to one Ukrainian naval-drone operator. Ukraine has not publicly confirmed the reported deployment or the alleged use of Misrata. 2
The Libyan ministry urged news organizations not to present assertions based on unidentified sources as established facts. Its statement is an official denial, not independent evidence resolving the competing accounts. Public reporting reviewed by Land Offset does not establish that Ukrainian forces launched drones from Misrata, that Libyan authorities authorized any such activity, or that the facility was used in an operation against a particular vessel. 1 2
Earlier reporting has described related but unverified allegations. In April, The Associated Press, citing two anonymous Libyan officials, reported that Ukrainian drone specialists operated mainly at a Misrata air base and at other facilities in western Libya; one official said a March strike on the Russian-flagged LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz originated at a military facility in Tripoli, not Misrata. The report said Russian and Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment and the Tripoli government did not immediately respond. 3
Reuters separately reported in December that an unnamed Ukrainian Security Service official said drones had struck the tanker Qendil in neutral waters. Reuters verified that source-provided video showed the Qendil, but said it could not verify the video’s time or location; the official did not say how the drones reached the vessel. That reporting documents the claim of a strike but does not establish a Libyan launch site. 4