The efforts of the Russian security company, "Wagner" not only to supply the forces of retired Libyan Major General Khalifa Haftar with mercenary militants, but rather to direct the world opinion of the country through interference in the media.

The most famous Russian security company is owned by businessman Yevgeny Prigogin, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Pregogen is nicknamed "Putin Chef" since he runs the "Concorde" company that has been organizing receptions for the Kremlin, and has been subject to US sanctions since the end of 2016.

Wagner undertakes the implementation of external tasks that Moscow does not wish to officially adopt, knowing its role in annexing the Crimea, and engaging in clashes in eastern Ukraine alongside the separatists, as well as sending mercenaries to Syria to fight alongside the Syrian regime forces, as it did the same in African countries.

The name of the company has emerged recently, with the intensification of the conflict in Libya, between the internationally recognized government of National Accord and Haftar, who for more than a year has launched attacks to control the capital, Tripoli.

The number of Russian mercenaries in Libya increased, according to a US Defense Department report, from two hundred elements in September 2019 to between eight hundred and 1400 at the end of the same year, at a time when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in February that the number of mercenaries had reached 2500.

Wagner not only supplies Haftar with mercenaries, but rather seeks to serve the Russian agenda, through its media, political and financial "advisory services".

A public opinion loyal to Haftar

"Wagner" seeks to form a public opinion in support of Haftar and "Saif al-Islam Gaddafi", son of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi, according to a study published by the "Center for Cyber ​​Policy" at "Stanford" American.

A report prepared by the London-based Dossier Research Foundation showed that Wagner had undertaken activities such as "entering into a partnership with the (Libyan) television channel belonging to the Gaddafi regime, and broadcasting programs for Haftar and Saif al-Islam Gaddafi."

Wagner also published a newspaper loyal to Haftar, provided advisory services to a television channel supporting him, and ran accounts of these media outlets on social media.

The foundation based its report on correspondence obtained on "Wagner" activities in the field of media in Libya.

A partner in the Gaddafi channel to support Haftar

According to the report, "Wagner" acquired 50% of the capital of the "Jamahiriya" television station, which stopped broadcasting after the revolution that toppled Qaddafi, and then resumed broadcasting from Egypt.

The report pointed out that the channel developed in terms of technical capabilities, after "Wagner" entered the line, and it broadcasts regularly after it was interrupted broadcast every two or three months.

He explained that the channel has become very popular among the supporters of Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, as it is believed that about six million people follow it weekly.

The report also pointed out that the pro-Seif al-Islam channel, which was taking a nostalgic approach to the Qaddafi era, in the first months of the past year, moved gradually to promote Haftar, whether through its screen or with its accounts on the communication sites.

The report indicated that the channel's change of its editorial line in favor of Haftar has aroused the supporters of Gaddafi, pointing to the creation of dozens of accounts linked to the channel on social media, some of which include hundreds of thousands of subscribers.

About a month ago, US Bloomberg reported that Wagner had interviews with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, with the aim of making him a leader for Libya.

Bloomberg said that the authorities of the National Accord government managed last year to arrest two Russian agents, and they seized notes on their meetings with Gaddafi's son.

According to these observations, the two Russian agents held three meetings with Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, and one of them participated in a Russian election advisor.

International media also reported many news that Russia's options are not limited to Haftar in Libya, and that it still keeps Gaddafi's son Saif Al-Islam among its options.

Pro newspaper for Haftar

Returning to the Dossier Foundation's report, the Wagner Group published "The Voice of the People", which is distributed for free. The report emphasized that the newspaper pursues a editorial line strongly loyal to Haftar and against the government of reconciliation.

Also included in the Wagner Group attention is the "Al Hadath Libya" channel - owned by Saddam, son of Haftar, which has been broadcasting from inside Libya since 2015.

According to the report, Wagner's media experts assessed the station’s performance and presented their recommendations to the channel’s management.

Although Haftar's forces announced on March 21 that they agreed to a truce to focus on efforts to combat the Corona virus, they are continuing an offensive that began on April 4, 2019, to seize the capital, Tripoli, the seat of the National Accord government.

In response to the ongoing violations, the government launched, on March 26, the military "Storm of Peace" operation against Haftar forces, which the government is contesting over the legitimacy and authority of the country.

And within the "storm of peace", the government forces managed, on Monday, to recover six cities and two strategic areas from Haftar's forces, most notably Sabratha and Sorman, which means their control of the entire western coast to the Tunisian border.