The ties that Moscow has established with the Houthi rebels are becoming increasingly close. As evidenced by the presence in Ukraine of hundreds of Yemeni fighters, most of them enrolled against their will, reveals an investigation by the Financial Times.
“Lured by promises of well-paid jobs or the hope of obtaining Russian citizenship, they arrived in Russia through an obscure company linked to the Houthis, were forcibly integrated into the Russian army and sent to the front in Ukraine”, writes the British daily, which publishes several testimonies collected by SMS.
Nabil (not his real name) arrived in Moscow last September, officially to work in the “security” or the“engineering” and hoping to earn enough money to be able to finish school. A few weeks later, he found himself in a Ukrainian forest with four other Yemenis dressed in military fatigues bearing Russian insignia, their faces obscured by scarves.
Another of these Yemeni fighters explains that he was promised a bonus of $10,000 and a monthly salary of $2,000 to work in Russia manufacturing drones. Forced onto a bus bound for Ukraine, he received rudimentary military training before being sent to a base near the Ukrainian border.
Russian personnel present in Yemen
“Russia needs soldiers and it is clear that the Houthis are recruiting [pour les Russes]. Yemen is a place where it is quite easy to recruit because the country is very poor,” says Farea Al-Muslimi, specialist in the Gulf region at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA, better known as Chatham House).
The commitment contracts signed by these Yemeni fighters that the Financial Times was able to consult mention of a mysterious company registered in Salalah, in the Sultanate of Oman. Founded by Abdulwali Abdo Hassan Al-Jabri, a politician linked to the Houthis, Al-Jabri General Trading & Investment is believed to specialize in travel as well as the supply of medical equipment and pharmaceuticals.
The presence of these Yemeni mercenaries in Ukraine “shows that the conflict is attracting more and more foreign soldiers as losses increase in the ranks of the Russian army, as the Kremlin tries to avoid general mobilization,” underlines the Financial Times. These foreign mercenaries now include not only some 12,000 soldiers from the regular North Korean army taking part in the fighting against Ukrainian forces in the Russian province of Kursk, but also Nepalese and Indians.
According to the British newspaper, it also highlights how Russia, “driven by its confrontation with the West”, is getting closer to Iran and armed groups allied to Tehran. “We know that Russian personnel are present in Sanaa [la capitale du Yémen] to deepen the dialogue”, confirms Tim Lenderking, the American special envoy for Yemen, who mentions possible arms transfers. The types of weapons mentioned “would allow the Houthis to better target ships in the Red Sea and perhaps beyond.”
