(MENAFN) Eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar was given a tour of a Russian aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean on Wednesday, Russian media reported, a show of Kremlin support for the faction leader who opposes Libya's UN-backed government.
Russia's courting of Haftar, who some Libyans see as the strongman their country needs after years of instability, has prompted some to draw parallels with Syria, where the Kremlin stepped into a chaotic civil war to prop up President Bashar al-Assad.
Haftar was welcomed on board the aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, as it was on route from the coast off Syria, where it has been taking part in operations, back through the Mediterranean to Russia.
He was greeted by the ship's officers, given a tour, then spoke via video conference from one of the ship's wardrooms with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Russia's RIA news agency cited the defence ministry as saying.
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