Russian fighters in Libya were flown out a town south of Tripoli by their Libyan allies after retreating from frontlines at the capital, the town's mayor said.
The reported departure of the Russians is another blow to the Libya National Army (LNA) of eastern Libyan military leader Khalifa Haftar, and his foreign allies.
Haftar's forces, backed by Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, have been trying to capture the capital for 13 months but suffered a string of defeats in recent weeks in fighting against Turkey-backed forces of the Tripoli government.
In the past two days, LNA forces have withdrawn from some positions in southern Tripoli in what they described as a humanitarian gesture. Forces allied to the internationally recognized government re-entered some of those areas.