Putin Gains in Oil Exporter Libya as US Struggles to Oust Wagner Group

The Kremlin is reestablishing its diplomatic presence in Tripoli, while Russian mercenaries have access to oil facilities and military bases further east.

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While the US ponders whether to reopen its embassy in Libya, Vladimir Putin's new ambassador is preparing to take up his post in the capital, extending Russian influence across an oil-producing nation on the doorstep of Europe.

Russia's Wagner Group, a private military company controlled by Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, already has access to key oil facilities and supported last year's monthslong blockade that hit exports at the height of the energy crisis triggered by the invasion of Ukraine.