By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2024-12-06

ADEN -- The Houthis have been exploiting the impoverished and desperate circumstances many Yemenis are facing to recruit mercenaries to fight for Russia in Ukraine through an elaborate deception scheme, sources said.

The Iran-backed group has been working with Russian forces to recruit fighters through clandestine networks, with promises of fat monthly salaries and Russian citizenship, according to the Financial Times.

"They informed us we would be security guards," said one September recruit. "Two days later, we were in training camps preparing for combat."

Furthermore, the paychecks they received were at best one tenth of what they had been promised, Asharq al-Awsat reported.

One recruit told the Financial Times that approximately 200 Yemenis were recruited into Russian forces in September alone.

According to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a WhatsApp group called "Stranded in Russia" has gathered 150 Yemeni members.

But the precise number of Yemeni mercenaries in Russia remains unknown.

In video footage, Yemenis describe their recruitment by a company connected to Houthi politician Abdulwali al-Jabri for what was presented as innocuous security-guard work.

The company was identified as Al Jabri General Trading and Investment Co. SPC, according to the OCCRP.

One recruit reported being met at the airport by "a representative from the Russian Defense Ministry" who told the group they would be guarding Russian facilities, according to Asharq al-Awsat.

Pawns of war

A recruit identified as Hicham said he had no military experience and was promised non-combat work, per the OCCRP.

But after al-Jabri's company flew him to Moscow, he was forced to sign a Russian military contract he couldn't understand, photograph or keep, he said.

"It was not made clear that we would be soldiers," Hicham said. "We are in an unfamiliar landscape... We did not fight even in our own country."

Human rights activist Ahmed Shawqi said Taez province authorities documented 60 missing-person cases tied to al-Jabri's company.

"Recruits were charged $3,000 for supposed jobs and citizenship, only to face combat in Ukraine," Shawqi said.

By supplying Russia with fighters, the Houthis seek to curry favor while securing weapons in return, said Abaad Center for Strategic Studies director Abdul Salam Mohammed.

The Houthis have acquired and used Russian missiles, with Russian trainers reportedly involved, he added, noting that Russia has acquired drones from the Houthis' main backer, Iran.

The Houthis are "returning favors for Russian support in their attacks on international navigation," political analyst Faisal Ahmed told Al-Fassel, referring to the group's attacks on vessels transiting the Red Sea.

"The Houthis are selling Yemenis for a meager price," he said.