Tim Lenderking confirmed to the Financial Times that Russia was actively in contact with the Houthis and discussing arms transfers but declined to be more specific: “We know that Russian personnel are present in Sanaa to help further this dialogue. The types of weapons discussed are very alarming and would allow the Houthis to better target ships in the Red Sea and perhaps beyond. We have seen reports that discussions are underway around. [missiles antinavires] and other types of lethal equipment that would add to what the Houthis are already capable of doing.” As for the Yemeni mercenaries, he says he has seen reports: “I would say that really worries us. It’s part of the trend, and it’s not necessarily something that would surprise us.”
More and more Ukrainians from occupied regions are being forcibly conscripted into the Russian army
Maged Almadhaji, director of the Center for Strategic Studies in Sanaa, confirmed relations between Russia and the Houthis: “Russia is interested in any group in the Red Sea or the Middle East hostile to the United States.” Farea al Muslimi, Gulf region specialist at Chatham House, explained that most of the Houthis recruited were not volunteers: “Russia needs soldiers, and it is clear that the Houthis are recruiting [pour eux]. Yemen is a fairly easy place to recruit. It’s a very poor country.”
According to the Financial Times, the company recruiting the Yemenis was founded by a Houthi politician, Abdulwali Abdo Hassan al-Jabri. The company, registered in Salalah, in the Sultanate of Oman, is classified as a “tour operator and a retail supplier of medical equipment and pharmaceutical products.” Recruitment would have started in July. The media exchanged messages with one of the Yemeni soldiers enlisted in the Russian army who claimed that there were around 200 of them. Many would have no military training and would have signed contracts without knowing how to read. They were allegedly promised lucrative jobs in fields like “security” or “engineering.”
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