Russian and other foreign mercenaries have entered Libya's largest oil field, the country's National Oil Corporation said Friday, describing the development as an attempt to thwart the resumption of halted oil production in the war-torn country.
In divided Libya, Russia is a leading backer of the east-based forces led by commander Khalifa Haftar, who has been waging war against the UN-supported government in the capital, Tripoli, which is mainly backed by Turkey.
The Russian mercenaries first met late Thursday with the guards of Libya's vast southwestern Sharara oilfield, controlled by Haftar's eastern-based fighters, according to a statement from the National Oil Corporation, or NOC.
