Reuters: Russia provided Haftar with a prints of forged dinars, causing the dumping of the dinar

Reuters revealed that illegal banknotes in eastern Libya, some of which were made by Russia, led to the striking of the dinar, adding that unofficial Libyan banknotes were replaced with real dollars and contributed to the decline in the value of the dinar.

Reuters indicated that some banknotes were printed by Russia and exported to eastern Libya this year, while others were printed illegally inside Libya, noting that the Central Bank of Libya described the new banknotes as counterfeit, but they are being converted into hard currency on the black market or Through local banks.

It confirmed that the money was used to finance infrastructure projects in the east after the devastating floods last year, and was also used to finance Russian mercenary activity in Libya and the Sahel region.

It was reported that the Central Bank of Libya, as well as the American Khalifa Haftar, refused to comment on Reuters’ request regarding currencies, and the Russian government money printing company did not respond.

It explained that Libya was divided in 2014 between warring Eastern and Western factions, and despite the 2020 truce, a political solution has proven elusive, with new waves of conflict constantly on the horizon.

It continued that the US State Department imposed sanctions on Goznak in June for printing more than one billion dollars in counterfeit Libyan currency, without specifying where and when the banknotes were printed or delivered.

Reuters explained that Russia provided the eastern authorities with several billion dinars from 2016 until the ceasefire in 2020, to help the American Khalifa Haftar and the government he supports in Benghazi, and its provision of new banknotes this year was not known before.