Russia recruits Yemeni mercenaries to fight in Ukraine
Russia has reportedly recruited mercenaries from Yemen to fight in the war in Ukraine, the Financial Times reports. The recruits themselves told the British newspaper that the Russian authorities had promised them lucrative jobs, ‘high salaries’ and even Russian citizenship.
However, shortly after arriving in Russia with the help of a company linked to the Houthis, they were ‘forcibly incorporated into the Russian army and sent to the front line in Ukraine’.
Since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, Moscow has resorted to various methods to recruit migrants and foreign nationals to cope with its heavy losses on the battlefield while avoiding a large-scale mobilisation that would generate even more social unrest among the Russian population.
Russia is believed to have recruited individuals from Nepal, Somalia, India, Cuba, among other nations.
North Korea has also sent some 10,000 troops to Russia, many of whom are stationed in the western Kursk oblast and engaged in combat, a Pentagon spokesman said in November.
This latest operation highlights the increasingly strong ties between the Kremlin and Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In October, the Wall Street Journal revealed that the Houthis had used Russian satellite data to target ships in the Red Sea with drones and missiles. According to the paper, the targeting information was provided through Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, allowing the Houthis to expand their attacks.
This collaboration shows just how far Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to go to destabilise the Western political and economic order. In this regard, analysts suggest that Moscow is seeking to foment unrest from the Middle East to Asia in order to distract the US.
The US special envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, has confirmed this association, noting that Moscow is ‘actively pursuing contacts’ with the Houthis for various purposes, including arms trafficking.
‘The types of weapons they are negotiating about are very alarming and would allow the Houthis to better attack ships in the Red Sea,’ Lenderking told the FT.