Russia recruited hundreds of Yemenis for war in Ukraine
The Russian armed forces have recruited hundreds of Yemenis for the war in Ukraine through a company linked to the Houthi group, Financial Times reports.
The main points of the article:
▫️ The recruitment of Yemeni soldiers began in July.
▫️ They were deceived into traveling to Russia and forced to sign contracts written in Russian, which they were unable to read.
▫️ The Yemenis were promised well-paying jobs and Russian citizenship, but upon arriving in Russia, they were forcibly conscripted into the Russian army and sent to the front line in Ukraine.
▫️ One Yemeni recounted that upon reaching the front line in Ukraine, they were made to dig trenches under fire without warm clothing, food, or rest, leading to a suicide attempt by one of the recruits.
▫️ Another soldier reported that many of the first group of arrivals were killed in Ukraine.
▫️ U.S. diplomats stated that the Kremlin’s ties with the Houthis demonstrates Russia’s willingness to expand the conflict to other regions, including the Middle East.
This practice of recruiting foreign mercenaries demonstrates that Russia is increasingly forced to find alternative methods to replenish its military losses while trying to avoid a full-scale mobilization, which could provoke public discontent.
In addition to Yemenis, Russia has also engaged mercenaries from Nepal and India, as well as around 12,000 DPRK army personnel, in its war against Ukraine
