Russia recruits hundreds of Yemeni Houthis for war against Ukraine – FT
Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
Russia is recruiting hundreds of Yemeni Houthis for the war against Ukraine. The men were brought to Russia through a shadowy human trafficking operation, according to the Financial Times.
Yemeni recruits who traveled to Russia told the Financial Times that they were promised high-paying jobs and even Russian citizenship. When they arrived in Russia, they were forcibly conscripted into the Russian army and sent to the front line in Ukraine.
American diplomats say the deal between the Kremlin and the Houthis is a sign of how far Russia is willing to go.
According to analysts, few Houthis have been trained in Russia, despite the fact that Yemen is a poor country and well suited for recruiting mercenaries.
The contracts of the Yemenis reviewed by the FT included a company founded by prominent Houthi politician Abdulwali Abdo Hassan al-Jabri. Registration documents list the company as a tour operator and retail supplier of medical equipment and pharmaceuticals.
The recruitment of mercenaries began in July. One of the contracts was dated July 3 and signed by the head of the contractor selection center in Nizhny Novgorod.
The FT contacted one of the mercenaries in Russia. He suggested that he was part of a group of around 200 Yemenis who had been drafted into the Russian army in September. The man said he had been lured to Russia with promises of lucrative jobs in “security” and “engineering”.
After a few weeks at the front, he hid with four other newly arrived Yemenis in a forest in Ukraine. According to the mercenary, one of the men tried to commit suicide and was taken to the hospital.
DPRK mercenaries at war
North Korea has sent more than 10,000 of its soldiers to the war against Ukraine. They were trained at Russian training grounds and then deployed to the Kursk region.
According to the Ukrainian military, the DPRK troops are already taking part in hostilities. According to the Financial Times, North Korea has also handed over long-range missile and artillery systems to the Russian army.
Media reports say that Moscow paid Pyongyang with oil and weapons, including air defense systems. Ukraine says that the DPRK is asking Russia for technology in exchange for troops.
