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Russias attempts to redeploy mercenaries from Syria and Libya and parts of its units in the Far East to the war against Ukraine have been unsuccessful so far.

"As for the overall situation around Ukraine and the hottest spots on the front line, they have not changed over the past day and have no chance of change because the Russian Federation has exhausted its resources. Its attempts to redeploy mercenaries from Syria and Libya and their units in the Far East have been unsuccessful so far. That is, they [Russians] have no reserves, both in our opinion and in the opinion of leading Western experts," Oleksiy Arestovych, a non-staff adviser to the Head of the President's Office, said at a briefing, Ukrinform reports.

Arestovych noted that the main efforts of the Russian invaders were focused on the Joint Forces Operation area in eastern Ukraine, but yesterday, according to him, the enemy suffered losses near Izium and Mykolayiv and "get stuck in tactical battles, which to some extent unfold even in favor of Ukraine."

Earlier, the General Staff informed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine inflicted devastating blows on groups of occupying troops in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and went on the counteroffensive in some areas as of the morning of March 16.

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Russias attempts to redeploy mercenaries from Syria and Libya to Ukraine unsuccessful so far - Ukrinform

Russias war on Ukraine, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 24 February, has raised many questions about its possible impact on the situation in Libya, where there are concerns that the country will return to a situation of political strife amid an escalating crisis.

Russia became a major player in Libya in 2019 when it became unofficially involved through the presence of Wagner Group forces in the country as a result of a cooperation agreement with the Tobruk Parliament in 2018.

The Ukraine war will likely cast an even darker shadow on political, security, and economic conditions in Libya if Moscow takes steps to defuse growing pressure by the West and the USs European allies by intervening further in the situation in the country.

Libya continues to be a source of concern in much of Europe in terms of migration, energy, and security issues.

The political crisis in Libya escalated in recent days after the Tobruk Parliament chose a new government led by Fathi Bashagha to succeed the national-unity government headed by Abdel-Hamid Dbeiba, who is refusing to hand over power before parliamentary elections areheld in late June to elect a new legislative body.

His opponents in the east of the country disagree with Dbeiba, as do his allies in the West who want to succeed him.

Presidential elections in Libya slated for 24 December 2021 were postponed amid much controversy, accompanied by the obstruction of the democratic process and despite the hopes of the more than 2.8 million registered Libyan voters.

The escalation of the political crisis and growing differences between the Libyan rivals regarding the new political arrangements approved by the parliament have raised fears of a renewed conflict that would take Libya back to square one in the conflict that has been raging in the country.

The Western powers and the UN have stressed the need to avoid any further escalation or steps that could destabilise the situation further and are urging the Libyan actors to move forward towards the elections.

Russia, which has been reluctant to support the Western-sponsored peace process in Libya, could sabotage the process by disrupting political, security, and economic conditions in this member state of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The Western powers are counting on benefiting from Libyas oil and gas production to help fill the shortfall resulting from the impeded access of Russian energy supplies to international markets.

Politically, Russia is unhappy about the overthrow of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 in an uprising supported by the Western powers and NATO. It objects to Western arrangements made in Libya since 2015 to settle the crisis based on the Skhirat Agreement, amendments resulting from the Berlin Process in 2020 and 2021, and the Paris Conference on Libya.

In December 2018, Libyan Parliamentary Speaker Aguila Saleh signed a cooperation agreement with the Russian parliament during a trip to Moscow that included security and military matters and gave Russia its first taste of political and then military involvement in Libya.

It then intervened militarily during the campaign of Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army, to take control of Tripoli in April 2019, becoming a key player on the Libyan scene.

Since the Tobruk Parliament chose Bashagha as the countrys new prime minister on 10 February, Russia has been the only global power that has welcomed this step and called on others to respect it.

This indicates an undeclared insistence by Russia to undermine the Wests efforts to resolve the Libyan crisis, especially since its position is inconsistent with its reservations about Bashagha becoming prime minister, since he had promised the West to undermine Russias influence in Libya and not allow Moscow to establish military bases there.

Russian advisers have been giving political support to Saleh, who admitted as much during a meeting with his kinsman at his headquarters in Al-Qubba last year. The support has also been confirmed in the regional and international news media.

Over recent years, Russia has worked on renewing its links to several key figures in the former regime, notably by supporting the return of Seif Al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the former Libyan leader, to the political scene.

Russia believes it will benefit from undermining the Wests political process in Libya through its connections with Saleh and Haftar, both of whom are supporters of the overthrown regime and have strong influence on the domestic scene.

The two men helped to facilitate Russias return to Libya to compete with the Western powers after Gaddafis overthrow.

On the military and economic fronts, Russia has the ability to shatter the fragile ceasefire in Libya and turn off the main economic taps there through its paramilitary Wagner Group, which includes professional mercenaries and security contractors who play a substantial role in providing support to Haftars National Army.

The latter controls vital regions in the south and centre of Libya and participates in protecting major oil fields and facilities.

As the political crisis escalates in the country, some players in Libya have threatened to cut the countrys oil exports, leading to a strongly worded response from the US and its European allies warning against any such moves.

This is being seen as an attempt to head off attempts to use energy as leverage to force Dbeiba to step down and hand over power to Bashagha.

On 24 February, the embassies of France, Germany, Italy, the UK, and US warned against sabotaging or politicising the work of the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC), saying this would threaten Libyas peace and security.

In a joint statement, the five embassies called on all the players in the country to respect the unity, integrity, and independence [of Libya] and maintain the non-political and technical nature of the NOC, since its uninterrupted operations will benefit all Libyans.

Russia is expected to work to replace current UN Special Adviser to the UN secretary-general on Libya Stephanie Williams and appoint a new head of the UN Support Mission in Libya.

It is also expected to continue to undermine the Wests current political process in Libya by insisting on a new and more inclusive process, in order to usher in supporters of the former regime to key seats at the negotiating table if efforts to push for elections next summer fail.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 17 March, 2022 edition ofAl-Ahram Weekly

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The Ukraine war and Libya - World - Al-Ahram Weekly - Ahram Online

In February, a 26-year-old Eritrean man lost his life when a fire broke out in the overcrowded Dhar El-Jebel detention centerin Zintan. We offered psychological support to survivors of the fire and distributed basic necessities to replace items they had lost, while reiterating our call for the end of arbitrary detention of migrants and refugees in Libya.

The vast majority of the estimated 650,000 migrants currently in Libya live on the streets, exposed to arbitrary arrest and detention, human trafficking, exploitation, and severe violence. Most of those detained are in clandestine prisons and warehouses run by people smugglers rather than official centers. In Bani Walid, our teams offered general health care and medical referrals to refugees and migrants who had escaped from captivity, and to victims of torture and trafficking.

Throughout 2020, refugees and migrants were subjected to numerous violent attacks; for example, at disembarkation points where the Libyan coastguard forcibly returns those who try to flee. On July 28, our teams responded with medical and psychological care after a shooting at a disembarkation site in Khoms that left three teenagers dead.

Tuberculosis (TB) care is another focus of our activities in Libya. Our teams work in three TB facilities: two in Tripoli and one in Misrata, a 17-bed clinic that we opened in March.

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Libya | Our Work & How to Help - Doctors Without Borders (MSF-USA)

As lawmakers debate loosening gun restrictions and expanding civilian use of deadly force against looters, a new 41-state study asks how stand your ground laws might affect homicide rates.

Stand your ground laws, also known as shoot first" laws, permit people to use deadly force in self-defense as a first resort, replacing the common law principle of a duty to retreat" and of using deadly force as a last resort.

The JAMA Network Open paper links stand your ground laws with an 8% to 11% increase in homicides nationally.

Patterns varied by state.

Rates topped 10% in the South, where additional monthly homicides equaled the annual murder rates of many European countries.

Arizona saw fluctuations in its homicide rate, but the pattern did not indicate a link to its 2006 stand your ground law. The authors did not find such associations in any western state.

Nowhere in the U.S. did such laws reduce homicides.

In an email, lead author and University of Oxford postdoc Michelle Degli Esposti said a states cultural norms can play a role in how such laws play out.

"The South has been shown to have a stronger cultural ideology that endorses the use of self-protective violence for maintaining 'honor' compared to other regions in the U.S., she said.

Degli Esposti added that understanding the context in which the laws were introduced a focused media and lobbying blitz, for example may be key to understanding why states respond differently to such laws.

Existing firearm laws and gun availability likely also play a role.

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Study links 'stand your ground' laws to uptick in homicides, but not everywhere - KJZZ

Next week, three separate policy committees will hear firearm-related bills as they move along the legislative process. Please use the Take Action buttons below to contact committee members and get involved in protecting our Second Amendment rights in California.

Assembly Public Safety Committeeat 9:00AM on March 22nd

Pro-gun Assembly Bill 2033, introduced by Assembly Member Thurston Smith (R-33), extends the duration that a California concealed firearm license is valid, from two years upto five years. This legislation helps ease the administrative burden on the issuing authorities while simultaneously easingthe financial strain on permit holders.

Please click this button to ask the Assembly Public Safety Committee to SUPPORT AB 2033.

Senate Public Safety Committeeat 1:30PM on March 22nd

Senate Bill 918, introduced by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-25),increases the fee on eligibility checks for precursor firearm parts and ammunition sales. While consumers who pay for basic eligibility checks on ammunition currently, and precursor parts beginning July 1st, won't notice a price hike, they should. This is because CA DOJ has been charging above the statutory maximum for more than two years as a result of their efforts to utilize creative legislative drafting to raise the cost of background checks on firearm transfers. While CA DOJ continues to overcharge consumers, they are utilizing this legislation to authorize the current, and unlawful,fee structure.

Please click this button to ask the Senate Public Safety Committee to OPPOSE SB 918.

Senate Education Committeeat 9:00AM on March 23rd

Senate Bill 906, introduced by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-25),makes it mandatory that parents of students disclose firearm ownership status to the schools their children attend, including how they are stored. It requires that these questions be placed on the forms used to register or enroll students, and these forms may be made available to law-enforcement under certain conditions. This is one more attack onthelaw-abiding citizens of California, amounting to a major invasion of privacy and potential harassment.

Please click this button to ask the Senate Education Committee to OPPOSE SB 906.

On March 15th,Assembly Bill 1869failed to pass the Assembly Public Safety Committee, but it has been granted reconsideration. AB 1869 increases penalties for violating Californias law on serializing home-built firearms and buying, disposing, possessing, etc., any firearm with the manufacturer name, model designation, or serial number altered or obliterated, from misdemeanorsto felonies. The existing California law already goes above and beyond federal law in regulating markings on firearms. These penalties are for mere possession, which can cause otherwise law-abiding citizens, without any criminal intent, to permanentlylose theirSecond Amendment rights.NRA will keep you updated on AB 1869.

Again, please click the buttons above to contact the committees and make your voice heard.

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California: Fee Hikes and Privacy Invasions to Be Heard in Committee Next Week - NRA ILA