Russia is deploying Chinese and Iranian combat drones in its full-scale war against Ukraine. It is also fielding North Korean soldiers and ballistic missiles. Soon, Russia might send Yemeni fighters into battle, according to reporting from the Financial Times newspaper.
The paper said Yemen's Islamist Houthi militia is recruiting men for deployment in the Russian military and that it has already sent hundreds of fighters to Russia through a "shadowy trafficking operation."
Citing some of the men involved, the Financial Times said Yemeni individuals were promised salaried employment and citizenship in Russia. When they arrived in the country, the men were forced to join the Russian army and sent to the front lines in Ukraine.
The Financial Times reported that men are being recruited through a company founded by a prominent Houthi politician. It also said it has seen a recruitment contract indicating Yemeni men have been recruited into the Russian military since July 2024. The Iran-backed Houthi militia has repeatedly attacked Western tankers in the Gulf of Aden, for example, since the........