From Desperation to Deception: How Russia Lured Yemenis to Fight in Ukraine

Russia continues to recruit more mercenaries to bolster its manpower in the fight against Ukraine, even through “deceptive operations” overseen by companies linked to Moscow.

Russia's success in recruiting Syrian, African, and other foreign fighters for its ongoing war against Ukraine since February 2022 did not stop it from ensnaring dozens of Yemenis as well.

Recruiting ‘Mercenaries’

Yemeni youth revealed in video recordings that they had been recruited as mercenaries to fight for Moscow against Kyiv.

These individuals made an urgent appeal to the Presidential Leadership Council and the internationally recognized government in Yemen, pleading for their rescue from the Russian-Ukrainian war.

In a video released on September 26, 2024, they stated that they had been deceived by individuals holding Yemeni and Russian citizenship, who misled them into thinking they were being hired by security companies in Russia for lucrative salaries.

The youths explained that they had been working in civilian jobs in Oman before being recruited by the al-Jabri Group to work in the Russian Federation, with promises of salaries ranging from $4,000 to $10,000 per month.

They were shocked to find themselves sent to the Russian-Ukrainian border to fight, which resulted in the deaths of 18 individuals, the disappearance of 30 others, and 36 more still trapped under Ukrainian siege.

Those deceived confirmed they were forced to sign contracts in Russian, which they didn’t understand, upon their arrival, pointing out that the recruitment brokers exploited their unawareness and difficult financial conditions.

These young men renewed their plea to their government and Yemen's ambassador in Moscow to quickly rescue more than 200 Yemeni nationals and return them to Yemen.

According to Yemen, these youths were exploited by companies in Oman to work for other civilian companies in Russia and were promised Russian citizenship.

However, it later became clear that this was merely a deception, as they were sent to military camps for forced conscription to fight in Ukraine.

The channel also noted that those who refused to go to the battlefronts were assaulted, with some killed during the war.

In November 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to expedite the process of granting citizenship to foreign volunteers serving as contract soldiers.

Images of foreign recruits alongside Russian forces after personally receiving Russian passports circulated on social media.

According to Almajhar, a Yemeni website, the recruitment of these Yemenis in Russia was conducted through Abdul Wali Abdo Hassan al-Jabri, a Houthi militia leader residing in Oman. He manages a recruitment network operating in various locations, including Yemen, Russia, and Egypt.

On August 20, 2024, the website reported that dozens of youths from areas under the control of the internationally recognized Yemeni government had left in batches starting earlier that month after being recruited to fight in Russia by local intermediaries in Yemen and Oman.

Regarding how recruitment occurs within Yemen, Almajhar said local intermediaries, known as “brokers,” are actively recruiting hundreds of young men from government-controlled provinces.

These individuals are promised a monthly payment of $3,000 and Russian citizenship upon arrival in exchange for joining Moscow's forces.

According to the same website, the process involves registering the names of the youths. Upon receiving approval from intermediaries in Oman, each person wishing to be recruited in Russia pays a $200 fee to “the broker”.

It’s noteworthy that those who left among these “victims” were led to believe they would work within Russian internal security, receiving $10,000 upon arrival, $3,000 of which would go to the intermediary company in Oman, while the recruits would keep all the rest.

Amajhar also published a copy of the contract signed by the recruits, which grants the company full authorization to act on their behalf in all official and non-official matters related to employment in Russia, whether in military, security, or civilian fields.

The intermediary company also pledges to “follow up on all rights and privileges for ‘the recruit’ according to Russian law, as enjoyed by any citizen,” but the contract does not include any clauses addressing what happens if he is killed or the tasks assigned to him.

Preying on Their Poverty

A photo published on August 16, 2024, from one of the Russian army's recruitment camps shows five Yemenis dressed in military uniforms and holding weapons, two of them without face masks.

Videos have also surfaced of Yemeni youths claiming they are on the front lines in Ukraine, “facing death.”

In one video, a young man in Ukraine, surrounded by several other Yemeni youths, stated that “25 Yemeni youths were killed at once after being taken from one of the camps.”

The economic situation in Yemen has deteriorated severely after ten years of war, which began with the Houthi coup against the legitimate government in 2014.

Yemeni youth live in harsh conditions due to the ongoing conflict and rising unemployment.

The government struggles to fund basic services and pay public sector salaries, while their counterparts in Houthi-controlled areas haven't received wages in years.

In the northern and western regions under Houthi control, around 80% of the population, which exceeds 30 million people according to the latest estimates, are living in dire circumstances.

More than two-thirds of Yemenis rely on aid to survive amid a crushing economic crisis caused by the war, currency collapse, and restrictions on imports and foreign trade.

In July 2023, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg declared that the “economic war” between the warring parties had exacerbated the conflict, as the government struggles to fund basic services and pay its employees.

The October 2022 Houthi attacks on oil export facilities deprived the government of most of its foreign currency revenues, which account for about half of its total income.

In light of this, the announcement by Yemeni youth that they had “fallen into the trap of exploitation and recruitment to fight for Russia in Ukraine” in a war they have no stake in, through a deal described as “human trafficking,” is seen by some as a consequence of “foreign-funded recruitment networks.”

In this context, Almajhar cites a security source from the Ministry of Interior in the internationally recognized government, stating that security forces in the liberated areas and provinces have uncovered that the Houthi terrorist militia is behind the suspicious recruitment of youth to fight in Russia.

The source revealed that the main recruiter, operating from his residence in Oman, is Abdul Wali Abdo Hassan al-Jabri, a member of the unrecognized Houthi Parliament and the commander of what is known as the “115th Brigade” under their control.

Yemeni journalist and economic analyst Wafiq Saleh believes that the primary factor driving many Yemeni youth to fall prey to these networks is poverty, the lack of job opportunities, and the absence of any prospects for economic solutions.

Saleh added in a press statement on September 27, 2024, that “many Yemeni youth hope to leave the country because all ways of life within Yemen are closed. As a result, they fall victim to exploitation by recruitment and human trafficking networks.”

“The networks that try to exploit Yemeni youth have purely financial motives,” as they receive significant sums of money in exchange for recruiting youth, without any regard for what may happen to them afterward.

‘Deal With the Devil’

On June 8, 2024, Bloomberg attributed Moscow's reliance on recruiting foreign fighters to the heavy casualties sustained by Russian forces on the battlefield, noting that in May of that year, Russia was losing over 1,200 soldiers daily.

Reports indicate that since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has been recruiting foreigners from countries such as Nepal, Somalia, India, Cuba, and others to fight in Ukraine.

According to Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), a special unit was created by the Russian Ministry of Defense to oversee the recruitment efforts.

In a report published at the end of May 2024, the HUR press office revealed that “mercenaries” are lured with an initial payment of $2,000 to sign the contract, along with the promise of a monthly salary of $2,200, health insurance, and Russian passports for them and their families.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, many foreigners have been deceived by promises of employment in Russia, such as driving or construction work, only to be forced into fighting as “mercenaries” upon arrival.

In September 2023, news about Cuban fighters in Ukraine made global headlines when Havana announced the arrest of 17 individuals for their involvement in a human trafficking network that recruited young people to fight for Russia.

A recruit in his late 40s, referred to by Politico as Pedro, said he was promised a position as a driver for “workers and construction materials.” However, upon his arrival in Tula, Russia, he found himself being trained for combat while armed.

“We signed a contract with the devil,” he added, recalling the moment he enlisted, “And the devil does not hand out sweets.”

According to Pavel Luzin, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), Russia “needs the cannon fodder” following the heavy losses in Ukraine.

In an interview with Politico on September 23, 2023, Luzin stated that most foreign recruits come from Central Asian and African countries, Syria and Afghanistan.

Their limited numbers mainly serve to boost Russia’s narrative that it has international support for its war, according to the senior fellow.

“Without speaking the language, knowing the local terrain, or the right training for modern warfare, they’ll be swiftly killed and that’s it,” he concluded. 

However, the exact number of foreign nationals who have joined Russia as mercenaries remains unclear.