Putin Says He Hasn’t Sent Russian Mercenaries to Libya
- President says any Russians on the ground are unofficial
- Turkey, UN-recognized government have alleged Russian role
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President Vladimir Putin denied sending mercenaries to Libya, suggesting that any Russians involved in fighting to unseat the country’s UN-recognized government are there on their own.
“Even if there are any Russian citizens there, they don’t represent the interests of the Russian government,” Putin told reporters in Moscow on Saturday in his first comments on the matter. “And they don’t get money from the Russian government.”