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Russia Uses Sanctioned Ship to Smuggle Weapons Into Libya Under Warship Escort
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
A Russian-flagged cargo ship subject to international sanctions has reportedly delivered military equipment to Libya under the protection of a Russian Navy warship, according to satellite imagery and open-source maritime tracking shared by user SONARROW on January 16.
The cargo ship Mys Zhelaniya was photographed docked at the port of Tobruk, Libya, on January 16. The vessel reportedly arrived after sailing from Baltiysk, Russia, under the escort of the Udaloy-class destroyer—one of Russia’s Project 1155 large anti-submarine warfare ships.
🚨🚨🛰 First HD sat pic of 🇷🇺 cargo MYS ZHELANIYA, just after docking in Tobruk 🇱🇾.
— SONARROW (@SONARROW_OSINT) January 17, 2026
Still empty at this time. Next pics will reveal her cargo.
SPARTA IV switched off her AIS yesterday morning. pic.twitter.com/LlUEIhJXEp
The presence of such a high-value naval escort suggests the transported cargo was of strategic importance, possibly intended for the Russian-backed “Africa Corps” operating in the region.
Although Mys Zhelaniya concealed its final destination on public maritime navigation systems, satellite imagery and historical tracking data confirmed that the vessel offloaded cargo in Tobruk. The practice of obfuscating port destinations has been frequently used by Russian logistical vessels operating in sanctioned environments.
According to publicly available images and maritime observers, the ship was also spotted earlier in January near the coast of Portugal, moving south along the Atlantic route.
Simultaneously, another sanctioned cargo ship, Sparta IV, was observed sailing in parallel with Mys Zhelaniya before the two vessels diverged. Despite declaring an Egyptian destination, Sparta IV is widely believed to be heading toward the Russian naval facility in Tartus, Syria.
Both vessels departed Baltiysk as part of the same convoy under naval escort, further indicating coordinated military logistics operations.
Mys Zhelaniya is owned by Transstroy, a major Russian construction firm involved in large-scale infrastructure projects, including energy developments in the Arctic. The company is under international sanctions.
Sparta IV is operated by SK-Yug, a subsidiary of the sanctioned Russian state logistics firm Oboronlogistika, which provides direct support to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Earlier, satellite imagery and analysis by the Jamestown Foundation revealed that Russia had begun restoring the long-abandoned Matan al-Sarra airbase in southeastern Libya to support its expanding military operations in Africa. The project, involving Russian and Syrian personnel, is seen as part of a broader Kremlin-Haftar cooperation strategy and aims to establish a logistical hub near the Chadian border.
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