Russia hires fighters from Yemen through company linked to Houthi rebels Hundreds of men from Yemen were recruited by Moscow to fight in Ukraine, according to research by the Financial Times. The construction is being done via a company that is linked to the Houthi rebels. This terrorist group controls large parts of Yemen and has received support from Russia in recent months in the attacks it carries out on Western cargo ships in the Red Sea.
Kasper Goossens 24-11-24, 13:14 Last update: 13:41 Source: Financial Times 20 comments North Korea, Nepal, India, Serbia, Syria, Libya, Central African Republic, Cuba, and now Yemen: mercenaries and soldiers from all over the world are coming to Russia to fight on the front in Ukraine. They are often offered high wages, and in some cases even Russian citizenship. This also appears to be the case for the Yemenis, who are brought to Russia under false pretenses.
The Financial Times was able to contact one of the estimated 200 men from Yemen who went to Russia. Nabil, as he is known, says he signed a contract with Al Jabri General Trading & Investment Company. The company, officially a tour operator and suppliers of medical and pharmaceutical products, is registered in Oman and was founded by Abdulwali Abdo Hassan al-Jabri. He was a member of parliament in Yemen for the Houthis and is a general in the army of the terrorist movement.
From drone builder to cannon fodder Nabil had to work for the company in Russia in the safety and construction technology sector. He left for Moscow in September with a group of approximately 200 compatriots. Many of them had no military experience, but that was not necessary; after all, they were not going to fight, only to work in industry. Nabil wanted to use the money to finish his studies. It turned out to be an excuse from Russia, to force the men to register as mercenaries. A few weeks later, Nabil, dressed in a Russian uniform, was in a forest in Ukraine, together with four other compatriots. He was injured shortly afterwards, nothing is known about his fate.
Abdullah, another man with a pseudonym, tells a similar story. He was promised two thousand dollars a month, a bonus of ten thousand dollars and possibly Russian citizenship, if he would work on drones in Russia. On September 18, he landed in Moscow, his group was taken to a building five hours' drive from Moscow, where they were forced to sign a contract to go fight. A bus took them south and after a short training they went to a military base on the border with Ukraine. A large part of his group died on the front in the meantime. It is not known whether Nabil and Abdullah belong to the same group of Yemenis.
The conditions in which the mercenaries from Yemen are fighting are said to be appalling. “We are being bombed. There are mines, drones, we have to build bunkers. We don’t even get a five-minute break,” one of them told the Financial Times. One of his colleagues reportedly tried to commit suicide and was taken to hospital. In another message, the contact complained that they were not given winter clothing. Eleven Yemenis have since been able to return to Yemen, including Abdullah. The International Federation of Yemeni Migrants has put pressure on the local government to bring the men back. It is not known how many Yemenis are still fighting as mercenaries in Russian service. Ali al-Subahi, the head of the federation, speaks of hundreds. He aims to bring them back home too.
The enemy of my enemy American diplomats are increasingly concerned about the relationship between Russia and the Houthi rebels. They say the mercenary plan is a sign of how far Russia is willing to go in expanding the conflict to other regions, such as the Middle East. The fight is also going on in Africa: Ukrainian special forces fought Wagner Group mercenaries in Sudan and Syria. “Russia wants to cooperate with any group in the Middle East or around the Red Sea that is hostile to the United States,” said Maged Almadhaji, head of the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies think tank. He said the mercenary plan was orchestrated by the Houthis to appease Russia and strengthen the relationship.
Tim Lenderking, the US special envoy for Yemen, confirmed to 'The Financial Times' that Russia is actively seeking more contact with the Houthis and is also discussing the supply of weapons. "We know that Russians are present in Sana'a (the capital of Yemen that is occupied by the Houthis, ed.) to have these discussions. The type of weapons that are being discussed are alarming and would enable the Houthis to better attack ships in the Red Sea and perhaps even ships outside that region," says Lenderking. Earlier it became known that Russia provides the Houthis with data, collected by satellites, on the location of merchant ships, so that they can fire on them.
