Russia tricks Yemeni men to fight in Ukraine under Houthi scheme

Russia is recruiting hundreds of Yemeni men to fight in its war in Ukraine by luring them to Russia under false pretenses in coordination with the Houthi terrorist network, a report by the Financial Times found.

The Yemeni recruits who were transferred to Russia under a “shadowy trafficking operation” were originally told they would receive high-paying jobs and Russian citizenship.

However, after arriving with the help of a Houthi-linked company, many have apparently been coerced into the Russian military, forced to sign fighting contracts at gunpoint and sent to the front lines in Ukraine.

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A senior Ukrainian defense official told Fox News that Moscow is trying to involve as many foreign mercenaries as possible in its war against Ukraine, whether from its allies or proxies in poor, impoverished countries.

“Before reporting on the troops from North Korea, which [North Korean leader Kim Jong Un] has sent to assist Putin, we had already reported on mercenaries from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.”

“We can confirm that Yemen is also among these countries. Moscow is indeed recruiting Yemeni Houthis to participate in hostilities against Ukraine,” the official added. “However, the current numbers are extremely low – serving as ‘cannon fodder’ rather than a force the Kremlin would consider sufficient. Nevertheless, Russia is continuing its recruitment process.”

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense similarly confirmed the report to Fox News and said, “Russi[a] has escalated this war twice recently. First, when they brought North Korean fighters, and second, when they used [a] ballistic missile in Ukraine.”

“Regarding mercenaries, for some time now, Russia has been working with mercenaries from all around the world and all we can say for now is they are working with new countries,” the ministry added. 

It is unclear if any of the Yemeni men are Houthi terrorists or how many have been sent to fight in Ukraine, though the Financial Times report on Sunday suggested that recruitment is believed to have begun in July. At least 200 Yemeni men were reportedly a part of just one group forcibly conscripted into the Russian military in September – most of whom had little training before they were then sent to Ukraine to fight. 

A video posted by the London-based news outlet depicted at least five Yemeni men, four in the video along with the cameraman, explaining their dire situation and noting that one of their fellow conscripts attempted to commit suicide but was taken to a hospital before being reinstated into service one day later.

“We are now under bombardment,” said the man holding the camera, who expressed their exhaustion and showed a group of men holed up in a Ukrainian forest. “Mines, drones, digging bunkers, we are carrying lumber.”

U.S. diplomats told the news outlet that the scheme coordinated between the Houthis and Russia shows how far Moscow is willing to go to beef up its forces amid the high casualty rates.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense on Monday assessed that Russia has seen more than 730,000 casualties in the nearly three-year-long war, though U.S. assessments in early October suggested this number was closer to 600,000, which includes some 115,000 deaths and roughly 500,000 wounded. 

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Though the report by the Financial Times suggests there could be hundreds, if not more, Yemeni men forced to fight in Ukraine, they are not the only foreign fighters being pulled into Russia’s war machine. 

North Korea has sent some 12,000 troops to aid Russia, and reports earlier this year suggested that men from India and Nepal had been lured into fighting for Moscow under false pretenses, again having been promised lucrative jobs before being shipped off to the war in Ukraine. 

It is unclear how many Indian men have been conscripted into Russia’s military, though a report by Time in August said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi apparently raised the subject with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a July visit to Moscow. Modi was allegedly assured Russia would do what it could to return all Indian mercenaries, though the status of that agreement remains unclear. 

CNN similarly reported earlier this year that some 15,000 men from Nepal had also been recruited to fight for Russia – depicting a trend that shows Russia has been targeting impoverished nations to falsely lure fighters into its ranks. 

Russia has been bolstering its ties with Iran, and in extension, Iran’s proxy forces like the Houthis, since Putin launched his “special military operation” in Ukraine in 2022.

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It is unclear what, if anything, Russia has promised the Houthi’s in exchange for their help in Moscow’s latest conscription scheme, and security officials have yet to confirm any arms sales from Russia to the terrorist network. 

Russia is known, however, to have aided the group by providing targeting data, which the group uses in its attacks against Western ships in the Red Sea. 

The Houthis have also sent at least two delegations to Russia this year to meet with senior Kremlin officials. 

The U.S. State Department did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions.