Two Russian MiG-29s Have Crashed In Libya According To Top American Intel Official

The Drive ^ | September 11, 2020 | Thomas Newdick and Joseph Trevithick

[SunkenCiv]

U.S. Africa Command says that at least two MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets, possibly piloted by shadowy Russian mercenaries, have crashed in Libya. Jared Szuba, the Pentagon correspondent for AI-Monitor, Tweeted out that one of the jets was apparently lost on June 28, while the other went down on September 7, 2020. This information had come in a statement from Rear Admiral Heidi Berg, U.S. Africa Command's (AFRICOM) director of intelligence.

Another tweet indicates that Berg believes that "Russian fighter aircraft," presumably MiG-29s too, but potentially also Su-24 Fencer strike aircraft, have conducted airstrikes in Libya. AI-Monitor's Szuba follows that up by repeating AFRICOM's assertion that the Russian aircraft are being operated by paramilitary contractors from the Wagner Group. This organization has very close connections to Russia's Main Directorate military intelligence agency, better known by the Russian acronym GRU.

Perhaps not coincidentally, a video emerged on social media earlier this week apparently showing a Russian-speaking pilot after their aircraft went down in Libya. The second half of the clip suggested he was about to be picked up by a Mi-24 Hind gunship helicopter.

That two-minute video was not dated and it was inconclusive as to whether it showed a genuine rescue effort to retrieve a just-downed pilot, or if it was footage from a combat search and rescue (CSAR) exercise...

At least 14 Russian-sourced jets have been operating in Libya since May in support of Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA), which has its main hub in the eastern city of Tobruk. The LNA is engaged in a civil conflict with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headquartered in Tripoli.

[dp0622]

Honest it wasn’t like I spent the day cursing the site :)

And you are right. They stated the truth fast.

Actually, I ate a bunch of cookies at noon and passed out for the day lol

I spend my saturdays now like i’m 7 years old again lol

At least it used to be alcohol! :)

And honest, it’s still important to know that things are still so fast over there that these kinds of incidents are happening

[dp0622]

It still contained information I did not know of...

Did you know about these already?

I Mig being shot down and just having engine failure and falling to earth is usually big news.

[Mark17]

I read it too. I knew a USAF Major that interviewed Belenko.

[Texas Fossil]

Yes. It was a fairly small book, but there were some interesting things about life in the USSR. What a mess.

The part about there not being enough alcohol to support one of the systems on the Fig 35 planes, because the crews would drink it. It was what we call everclear (180 proof grain alcohol).

They would not fuel the planes with enough fuel to defect, so he finally was stationed to a base close enough to make his break. Not knowing if he would be shot down. (Today he probably would have)

It sounds like the KGB were honing in on him just before he made his break.

[Mark17]

It sounds like the KGB were honing in on him just before he made his break.

As I recall, he went up in a 4 ship formation, and while the flight was is a turn, he broke in the other direction, and made for the coast. I was an air traffic controller, at the time. 😁
I think he asked what the definition of an alcoholic was, and when he was told, said if that were true, then almost everyone in the Soviet Union, was an alcoholic.

[Texas Fossil]

Yes. I don’t drink, but if I had to live there, I might have taken that route.

[Mark17]

Yes. I don’t drink, but if I had to live there, I might have taken that route.

I don’t either, but I am sure, having to put up with communist BS, is exactly WHY they drank. 🤗

[Texas Fossil]

Agree. It would make you insane.

[SunkenCiv]

There's a new Muslim Brotherhood warlord who is ignoring the GNA figurehead leader and continues war with the LNA. That's probably the reason for the resignation.

---

The representative of the forces of the Government of the National Accord in Libya (GNA), Squadron Leader Mohammad Qanunu, announced that he will continue his military operations until the liberation of all cities nationwide, thus ignoring the ceasefire agreement announced by the Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj, according to Pentapostagma.

In a tweet on his official Twitter account, Qanunu said:"We will never trust the announcement of a new ceasefire or truce, as we have seen many previous breaches and breaches."

The spokesman confirmed,"We are determined to continue our military operations in order to legally defend ourselves, to attack threatening greenhouses and to stop the development of illegal groups in the country."

He stressed that they will continue to liberate all the conquered cities, to face the injustice suffered by their inhabitants and to restore state authority.

The spokesman added:"The Libyan state -- exclusively -- has the right to use its resources, to manage its wealth, to export oil and to take a hard line against those who seek to starve the Libyan people and plunder its natural resources."

The situation in Libya is escalating after the announcements for the creation of a large naval base from Turkey and Qatar in Misrata, which will become their base in the Mediterranean against Greece and Egypt.

Haftar's military forces are moving against Misrata

Faraj Dardar, who is presented by the Brotherhood channels as a"political analyst and researcher", said that there is currently a large military mobilization of Haftar forces on the borders of the areas of Sirte and Al Joufra, because the target of these forces is to reach the city of Misrata and occupy it.

Dardour claimed in a telephone interview with the Turkish channel TRT that the attempted attack by Haftar's armed forces was aimed at invading the city of Misrata, as it is an old and modern permanent target for the Libyan general.

The reason is simple and concerns the position of the city with its port which is the"key" for the control of the whole region, while at the same time"looking" at the Mediterranean. Hundreds of its defenders have been killed in previous battles and the city is inhabited by Turkish-born Libyans.

The expert of the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood stressed that everyone knows that the city of Misrata is the"thorn" that stands behind the LNA forces, because from there the"Haftar militias"are in danger.

Faraj Dardar claimed that the occupation of Misrata would remain a long-term dream, because if LNA forces could enter it, they would not have been defeated in Tripoli, Tarhouna and Al Trawan.

He stressed that the European Union is under great pressure from France, because the war against Tripoli resulted in heavy civilian casualties and many violations.

Expert defense analysts estimate the scenario of"bombing" by unknown fighter jets in the evening hours, it is possible in the near future, especially after the announcement of Turks, Qataris and Libyans of Tripoli about control of the Mediterranean with a naval base.

After all, the same scenario is being implemented at the Al Vatiya air base, which is bombed every three or so times by"unknown fighters", since new Turkish-made anti-aircraft systems were first installed there.

At the same time, the head of the Tripoli government, Al-Sarraj, allegedly announced an immediate ceasefire throughout Libya, on the condition that Sirte and Al Joufra be demilitarized at the behest of Ankara, which by the way demands exactly the same for all the Greek islands adjacent to the coasts of Asia Minor, home to 100,000 Aegean soldiers.

Turkey demands and behaves arrogantly throughout the Mediterranean as if it owns the region, which shows the very difficult situation of the Turkish government and Erdogan, who has opened so many fronts, which of course he can not close.

It should be reminded here that General Haftar has not yet mentioned anything about the"agreed"ceasefire between Saraj and Saleh, perhaps implying his disagreement with a"truce" on such terms.

Libya war: Ink hasn't dried yet -- 'We will destroy Haftar', LNA is moving towards Misrata | Freeway | 3 weeks ago | YouTube

[SunkenCiv]

Two Russian MiG-2s Have Crashed in Libya -- the headline and the articles are accurate. Troll and snark somewhere else please.

[Mr. Jeeves]

“...shadowy Russian mercenaries”

They know this because of the "Trump 2020" bumperstickers on the planes' tails. )

[SunkenCiv]

I'd prefer the over-the-horizon and out of visual range fire-and-forget kinds of things. But the dogfight training is indispensible :^) I wonder if it's called catfighting when...

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

That title is definitely click-bait, though.