On 3 September, the New York Times published an article about a UN report that says that the sheer scale of violations so far this year, combined with the volume of advanced weaponry now circulating inside the country, are a cause of growing international alarm. The article says that investigators show that egregious violations by leaders who flout the embargo with seeming abandon have reached new levels. It mentioned nearly 350 Russian military supply flights in 9 months that have swelled its force of Russian and Syrian mercenaries to over 5,000 fighters – with 339 Russian military flights between 1 November and 31 July, mostly from Hmeimim air base in Syria, with a potential volume of up to 17,200 tons. It also mentions over 100 UAE flights in the first half of 2020, many of them using 3 charter airlines registered in Kazakhstan. The Kazakh airlines stopped flying in May when authorities there suspended their licences after receiving international complaints, but the UAE Air Force stepped in, running 60 direct flights up to 31 July. It is also said that the UAE has also been recruiting Sudanese mercenaries. Qatar is also named, and in May and June at least 5 Qatar Air Force cargo flights landed in Libya.
