Russian policy-makers see Haftar as a strongman who can end the six years of anarchy that followed the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi. The presence of the military contractors was, according to the head of the firm, a commercial arrangement. Hafatr visited Moscow twice last year, meeting with the Russian Defense Minister and Foreign Minister as well as the Deputy Foreign Minister and the Secretary of the Security Council of Russia. Last January, Haftar was given a special tour on the Russian aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, which was returning from Syria. He met with the Russian Defense Minister via a private video conference.

Source: Libya Observer March 11, 2017 18:33 UTC