Russia Reform Monitor No. 2389

HOW RUSSIA IS HELPING LIBYA'S HAFTAR
U.S. military officials and national security experts have accused Russia of fanning the flames in Libya's civil war by supplying strongman Khalifa Haftar with both warplanes and manpower while masking the origin of that assistance. The North African conflict has widened in recent months after Turkey began supporting the UN-recognized Government of National Accord in their fight against Haftar, the leader of the Russia-backed Libyan National Army. Haftar controls large swaths of eastern Libya and is trying to dislodge the GNA from the capital city, Tripoli. In addition to releasing images of what are being called disguised Russian MiG-29 warplanes and other aircraft in southern Libya, U.S. sources also claim that Wagner, a Russian mercenary outfit that has gained notoriety for its activities in Ukraine and Syria, has deployed personnel to assist Haftar and his forces.

Russia also appears to be providing Haftar and his men with advanced anti-aircraft systems. When Turkish-backed Libyan forces recently captured the al-Watiyah airbase in the country's west, they discovered a disabled unit of the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile system. The Pantsir-S1, known by NATO forces as the SA-22 Greyhound, has been a staple of military forces loyal to President Bashar Assad in Syria for the past several years. The system is capable of shooting down drones, and has been a nuisance for Turkish planes over Libya. Before it fell, the al-Watiyah airbase was controlled by forces loyal to Haftar. (Forbes, May 19, 2020; London Guardian, May 26, 2020)

KADYROV SEEKS CORONAVIRUS TREATMENT IN MOSCOW
Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Republic of Chechnya, has travelled to Moscow to receive treatment for symptoms consistent with coronavirus infection. According to in-country sources, a private jet recently carried Kadyrov from Grozny to the Russian capital without the usual accompanying public statement. Kadyrov is one of several high-ranking Russian officials to catch the coronavirus in recent weeks. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, and recently appointed Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova have all fallen ill with the disease to date. (The Moscow Times, May 21, 2020)

REGULATORS IMPEDE CORONAVIRUS FIGHT
In recent weeks, mismanagement, corruption, and organizational politics have complicated Russia's fight against the coronavirus. ROSPOTREBNADZOR, Russia's department of health regulation and safety, has been actively involved in the country's virus response, but recent interviews with medical professionals have shed a grim light on the organization's operations. ROSPOTREBNADZOR manages oversight of Vektor, the Siberia-based lab that developed Russia's initial coronavirus kits and tests. Not only did those tests subsequently need to be sent away to Novosibirsk for analysis, but doctors at the Russian Ministry of Health have slammed them for inaccuracy, with samples producing false negatives between 20 and 30 percent of the time. ROSPOTREBNADZOR has also gone to great lengths to marginalize competition in the research sphere, using its bureaucratic influence to limit other labs and organizations to forge ahead with research into the virus. Among others, the Russian Academy of Sciences has had its efforts to analyze the virus' DNA obstructed by Kremlin regulators. (Meduza, May 24, 2020)

FIRED GOVERNOR SUES PUTIN
After being dismissed from his decade-long appointment, a Russian regional governor is suing President Putin for wrongful termination. Mikhail Ignatyev, the Governor of the Chuvashia Republic in central Russia, was removed earlier this year for what is being termed a "loss of trust." In January, the governor made public comments implying that journalists who speak out against the Russian government should be "wiped out." Ignatyev subsequently walked back the comment, but the resulting scandal still cost him his job. His suit represents the first time President Putin has been sued by one of his governors; in his day, however, President Yeltsin was sued twice in this manner. A preliminary hearing in the matter has been set for June 30th. (The Moscow Times, May 29, 2020)

MOSCOW CHANGES ITS METRIC
Moscow has altered its methodology in counting coronavirus deaths after skepticism over the country's low death rate associated with the disease has intensified both at home and abroad in recent weeks. Overnight, the capital city's death count more than doubled from 639 to 1,561. Post-mortem examinations of the recently deceased revealed that COVID-19 was a "catalyst" in hundreds of the city's recent deaths - something that Russian authorities didn't factor into their analysis previously. Across the country, the tally of new infections has declined after peaking in early May, but authorities are warning that - after initially reporting low infection rates, as compared to Moscow - hospitals in Russia's second city, Saint Petersburg, are now operating at capacity. (BBC News, May 29, 2020)