Russia plans to recruit Yemenis to fight in the war, Ukraine's intelligence says
Some of the Yemeni nationals Russia plans to recruit for the war against Ukraine were born in 2006 and 2007, the Foreign Intelligence Service said.
Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service reported on September 19 that Russia intends to enlist at least 27 Yemeni citizens to participate in the ongoing war against Ukraine. Moscow has been recruiting personnel from various nations, including Nepal, Somalia, India, and Cuba, since the beginning of its full-scale invasion in 2022.
The magnitude of these recruitment endeavors remains unconfirmed. Among the Yemeni nationals Russia aims to enlist for the conflict with Ukraine are individuals born in 2006 and 2007, according to the agency.
In July, the commander of a military recruitment office in Russia's Siberian city of Khanty-Mansiysk sought the border guard's permission to legalize Yemeni nationals residing in Russia, the Ukrainian intelligence service disclosed. Subsequently, the Russian authorities reportedly intended to finalize military contracts with these individuals.
The Yemeni nationals are being granted citizenship and residence permits under a decree issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin, establishing a temporary procedure for citizenship acquisition and residence authorization. The agency explained that the Yemeni nationals are initially legalized in Russia through a streamlined process before being enlisted for military duty.
Speculations about Russia recruiting hundreds of Yemeni mercenaries to fight in Ukraine surfaced in 2024. North Korea stands out as the primary contributor of foreign troops to Russia's military campaign, previously dispatching 12,000 soldiers to bolster a Russian-led counteroffensive in Kursk Oblast in 2025.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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