Russia has reportedly recruited hundreds of Yemeni mercenaries for its war in Ukraine – some of them under false pretenses – through a company linked with the Houthi armed group.
Financial Times (FT), citing comments from the Yemeni mercenaries, reported Sunday that they were promised high salaries and even Russian citizenship before being forcibly inducted into the Russian military to fight in Ukraine.
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Al Jabri General Trading & Investment Co SPC, a Yemeni company affiliated with one of the Houthi leaders Al Jabri and was presumably the firm that facilitated the dealings, refused to comment on the issue in an FT inquiry.
The Iran-backed Houthi group has been attacking naval vessels in the Red Sea since November 2023, targeting ships they claim are linked to Israel, disrupting global trade and forcing shipping companies to reroute vessels away from the Suez Canal.
One Yemeni recruit using the pseudonym Nabil told FT that he was likely part of around 200 Yemenis conscripted in September after arriving in Moscow.
Nabil said he was lured by the promising salary in fields such as “security” and “engineering,” and that the group of Yemenis contained some experienced fighters but most received no military training.
He said most were tricked into traveling to Russia and signing enlistment contracts in Russian they could not understand.
FT also obtained a video allegedly depicting Nabil and other Yemeni recruits in Ukraine whilst under Ukrainian bombardment, though it is unclear if the outlet obtained it from Nabil.
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Abdullah, another Yemeni recruit using a pseudonym, told FT he was promised a $10,000 bonus, a $2,000 monthly salary and eventual Russian citizenship for making drones in Russia.
Abdullah said that shortly after arriving in Moscow on Sept. 18, he was taken to a facility five hours from Moscow and forced to sign an enlistment contract by someone with basic command of the Arabic language. He said those who refused to sign were threatened by the man firing a pistol over their heads.
He added that most of his fellow recruits died in Ukraine. FT added that Abdullah was one of the 11 Yemenis who returned from Russia to Yemen through Oman thanks to the International Federation of Yemeni Migrants.
Farea al Muslimi, an expert on the Gulf region at Chatham House, told FT that Yemen’s poor economy makes it easy for Moscow to recruit.
“One thing Russia needs is soldiers, and it’s clear the Houthis are recruiting, [for them] … Yemen is a pretty easy place to recruit. It is a very poor country,” Muslimi said.
FT said the Yemeni recruitments underscores how Moscow “is growing closer to Iran and allied militant groups in the Middle East.”
US special envoy for Yemen Tim told FT that Moscow has been in discussion with the Houthis about weapon transfers.
“We know that there are Russian personnel in Sana’a helping to deepen this dialogue … The kinds of weapons that are being discussed are very alarming, and would enable the Houthis to better target ships in the Red Sea and possibly beyond,” Tim said.
In September, Kyiv Post reported that Russia, with Iran’s mediation, reportedly held secret talks with the Houthi group about supplying P-800 Oniks (Yakhont) anti-ship cruise missiles.
However, it is unclear if Moscow transferred any weapons to the Houthi group at the time of publication.
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