[4] Libya was initially sometimes critical of the Soviet Union, opposing Cuba's membership of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1973 due to its support for the USSR's communist ideology.

[6] Libya backed, along with the Soviet Union, Idi Amin's regime in Uganda, the PLO in Lebanon, Marxist guerrillas in Chile, the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, Angolan-Cuban forces in the Border War against South Africa and the Ethiopian government against insurgents.

[10] Nonetheless, Russia maintained a diplomatic presence in Tripoli with the Gaddafi government until September 2011 when Moscow switched recognition to the anti-Gaddafi National Transitional Council.

[citation needed] Russia had joined the arms sanctions against Libya, suspending all contracts for the supply of military hardware to the country in 2011 during the First Libyan Civil War.

[15] He also met with Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and said that he request Russia's assistance in fixing the country's government institutions and military strength.

[16] The prime minister also met with Nikolai Patrushev, the Russian president's security adviser, and talked about the need to restore stability in Libya as well as the influence of terrorist groups in the country.

The leader of the Libyan National Army, which is loyal to the House of Representatives, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, had visited Moscow several times throughout the previous year and in January 2017 was given a tour of the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, where he reportedly met with military officials and discussed weapons contracts.

[18][19] In late February, the GNA prime minister of Libya, Fayez al-Sarraj said he wanted Russia to mediate talks between Marshal Haftar and his government.

[23] During the Mediterranean Dialogue forum in Rome in December 2017, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Maiteeq stated that he expects Russia to take part in assisting the rebuilding of Libya after the ongoing civil war is settled.

[24] By 2024 Russia had also built relations with strong men outside the UN recognised government, and constructed a number of secret airbases in rebel areas, probably as a bulwark to its Africa program.