KIEV, Sept. 6 - The Ukrainians detained by the new Libyan authorities are former military engineers, the Ukrainian newspaper Segodnya (Today) wrote on Tuesday, citing a Ukrainian security officer.

Asked by Segodnya whether the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) has any information about our possible mercenaries in Libya, the SBU first deputy chief Volodymyr Rokytsky replied in the negative, but stated that this information is being verified. However, another informed SBU officer stressed that, 'several Ukrainians detained by the Libyan authorities, were military engineers in the past, and one can only guess in which capacity they had arrived to Libya under a contract with a Russian oil company', the newspaper said.