Russia's Armed Forces have recruited hundreds of Yemenis to fight in Ukraine, bringing them in through a covert trafficking operation that underscores growing ties between Moscow and Yemen's Houthi rebels, reported “Financial Times“, quoted by BTA.
Yemenis who traveled to Russia told the publication that they were promised high-paying jobs and even Russian citizenship. When they arrived with the help of a Houthi-linked company, they were forcibly drafted into the Russian army and sent to the front in Ukraine.
The emergence of mainly involuntary Yemeni mercenaries in Ukraine shows how the conflict is gradually attracting fighters from abroad as the death toll mounts and the Kremlin tries to avoid full mobilization, the publication said. They include mercenaries from Nepal and India, as well as about 12 thousand regular North Korean soldiers who arrived to fight against the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Russia's Kursk region.
According to the “Financial Times” the attempts to recruit Yemenis underscores how Russia, driven by its confrontation with the West, is increasingly moving closer to Iran and its allied groups in the Middle East. The Houthis, who are backed by Tehran, have disrupted global supply chains by shelling ships in the Red Sea since the start of the Gaza war a year ago.
According to American diplomats, the rapprochement between the Kremlin and the Houthis, which was unimaginable before the war in Ukraine, shows how willing Russia is to expand the conflict to new theaters, according to the “Financial Times”.
The US special envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, confirmed that Russia is actively in contact with the Houthis and discussing arms transfers, although he declined to be more specific.
“We know that there are Russian officials in Sana'a who are helping to deepen this dialogue. The types of weapons being discussed are very worrying and would allow the Houthis to better attack ships in the Red Sea and possibly further afield, he said.
Maged Almadhaji, head of the Center for Strategic Studies in Sanaa, a Yemen-focused think tank, said Russia was also interested in “any group in the Red Sea or the Middle East that is hostile to the United States.”. He said the mercenaries were organized by the Houthis as part of efforts to build ties with Russia.
A representative of “Ansar Allah”, the official name of the Houthi rebel movement, has not yet responded to a request for comment, notes the “Financial Times”.
In the contracts signed by the Yemenis, to which the “Financial Times” was accessed, a company founded by Abduali Abdo Hassan al-Jabri, a prominent Houthi politician, was named. The company is registered in Oman as a tour operator and retail supplier of medical equipment and pharmaceutical products.
The recruitment of Yemeni fighters appears to have started as early as July, the publication claims.
The Houthis have sent at least two official delegations to Moscow this year to meet with senior Kremlin officials such as Mikhail Bogdanov, the Kremlin's Middle East envoy.
U.S. diplomats have said Moscow is providing the Houthis with a variety of aid, including targeting data for some missile launches, and is discussing arms sales, including advanced anti-ship missiles, although experts say there is no evidence of arms sales.
On the subject of the recruitment of Yemeni mercenaries by Russia, Lenderking said he had seen reports. “I would say that definitely worries us. This is part of a certain trend and is not something that will necessarily surprise us, he added to the Financial Times.
Ukraine's Zaporozhye region was subjected to a massive Russian drone attack, in which a 16-year-old girl was injured, the regional governor announced, BTA reported.
"The Russians massively attacked Zaporozhye with drones late before midnight, explosions echoed in the city,'' announced the chairman of the Zaporozhye Regional Military Administration, Ivan Fyodorov.
As a result of the attack on Zaporozhye, it is currently known that a 16-year-old girl was injured, the regional governor's message also states. According to his preliminary information, damage was done to an infrastructure object.
The Bulgarian community in Zaporozhye region amounts to about 30 thousand people. The compact population of the Bulgarian community in the district is concentrated in the Primorski, Melitopol, Berdyan and Priaz regions, which are currently occupied.