Russia has strongly criticised the UN Security Council’s decision to extend the mandate of the European Union’s Operation IRINI for an additional six months, arguing that the naval mission has failed to deliver meaningful results in preventing the flow of weapons to and from Libya.
The Council adopted the renewal just two days before the mandate was set to expire on 28 November, with Moscow choosing to abstain rather than support the resolution put forward by France and Greece.
Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Anna Evstigneeva said the decision to abstain reflected Moscow’s longstanding concerns about the structure, neutrality, and effectiveness of IRINI.
She argued that the mission, established to enforce the arms embargo on Libya and support the political process, has not achieved its declared objectives despite operating for several years in the Mediterranean.
Evstigneeva said Libya remains “overflowing with weapons used by numerous armed groups,” a situation she described as clear evidence of the mission’s limited impact. She noted that while the European Union promotes IRINI as a success story, the reality on the ground tells a different story, with no significant reduction in arms smuggling recorded.
She also criticized the fact that operational control of the mission rests entirely with the European Union, saying this arrangement does not reflect balanced international oversight. According to Russia, this has resulted in selective implementation of inspections, limited geographic coverage, and an overall approach that fails to address the full range of arms-smuggling channels, including air and land routes.
Evstigneeva stressed that the EU’s public narrative about IRINI’s achievements “does not match the real situation,” pointing to the continued movement of weapons in and out of Libya despite the embargos in place. She argued that the mission’s narrow focus on maritime routes allows many violations to go undetected, undermining the credibility of the embargo and prolonging instability.