On 25 March, a series of unverified documents surfaced online purportedly showing the head of the LNA Khalifa Haftar offering military support to Russia for its ‘special operation’ in Ukraine and Russia’s Defence Minister declining the offer. The first document, dated 15 March, from Haftar to the Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, is an offer of LNA volunteers to fight in Ukraine. The letter refers to ‘the sincere desire’ expressed by a number of LNA soldiers to provide assistance. A response was reportedly issued by the Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, dated 20 March, thanking Haftar for his offer but declining as it would ‘complicate logistics and coordination’. Shoigu expressed his wish for future cooperation between the two countries. The authenticity of these documents has not been verified.
