< p>Hundreds of young Yemenis have been recruited to Russia to be sent to fight in Ukraine, Deutsche Welle reported, citing its own sources.
According to them, young people who were promised good jobs in Russia were left without communication after being sent to the front and no one could help them.
One of DW's interlocutors claimed that his friend, who thus went to Russia, was part of a group of 24 people recruited in the cities of Sanaa and Taiz and their surroundings.
Geneva-based Yemeni human rights organization SAM estimates that "perhaps 500-700 people" from Yemen may fight on the Russian-Ukrainian front.
According to SAM, the Yemenis signed contracts, which in most cases were not translated into Arabic, and faced harsh treatment upon arrival in Russia.
Earlier, the Financial Times reported on the involvement of Yemeni mercenaries in the war in Ukraine. The newspaper said the Yemenis were lured to Russia through a company founded by prominent Houthi politician Abdulli Abdo Hassan al-Jabri.
Earlier in May, authorities in India busted a human-trafficking ring that lured young men to Russia with similar promises of lucrative jobs or university admissions, only to force them to fight in the war with Ukraine.