Libyan Government Agrees to Release Russians Accused of Meddling – Bloomberg

The Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) has agreed to release Russian political operatives accused of vote meddling, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. 

The agreement between Libya’s internationally recognized government and Moscow was made last week and the prisoners are expected to return to Russia in the coming days, Bloomberg cited unnamed sources close to the negotiations as saying. 

Political advisor Maxim Shugaley and his interpreter Samir Hasan Ali Seifan were employed by the Foundation for National Values Protection, a pro-government think tank tasked with the diffusion of Russian conservative values and allegedly owned by Kremlin-linked catering magnate Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as “Putin’s Chef.” 

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova did not confirm the story, telling Bloomberg in a text message that “contacts on this issue have become more active but it’s early yet to talk about any results.”