Misrata, Libya — Sites inside the Misrata Air College (Air Force Academy) were hit by unidentified aircraft in a reported airstrike aimed at Ukrainian military personnel operating from the facility.
The attack highlights Libya’s emergence as a proxy arena in the Russia-Ukraine shadow war. Over 200 Ukrainian officers and drone specialists are deployed in western Libya with approval from the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity under Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.
Many are based at the Misrata Air College which also hosts Turkish, Italian, U.S. AFRICOM, and British intelligence elements, along with a dedicated drone launch site near Zawiya (close to the Mellitah oil and gas complex) and coordination facilities in Tripoli.
Ukrainian Sea Baby drone similar to the ones operating from Libya
Ukrainian personnel have been linked to maritime drone strikes on Russian “shadow fleet” vessels in the Mediterranean. A key incident was the March 3, 2026, attack on the Russian LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz, damaged by a Magura V5-type sea drone. Sources indicate the launch originated from facilities associated with the Misrata area or Tripoli. An earlier strike targeted another tanker in late 2025.
The Misrata Air College, a longstanding military training hub, has faced previous strikes during Libya’s civil wars, including attacks by forces loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar in 2019.
