“The publication assumes that the recruitment of Yemeni soldiers began as early as July 2024”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
The FT suggests that the recruitment of Yemeni soldiers began as early as July 2024. Journalists got acquainted with one of the contracts, which is dated July 3, the document was signed by the head of the contractor selection center in Nizhny Novgorod.
One of the recruits, Nabil, said that he was part of a group of about 200 Yemenis who arrived in Moscow in September and were sent to the front. Some of his group were experienced soldiers, he said, but many had no training. Nabil claims that he was lured to Russia with the promise of a lucrative job in the fields of “security” and “engineering”. According to him, having earned money in Russia, he planned to finish his studies.
Another FT interlocutor, Abdullah, said that he was promised a one-time payment of 10,000 dollars and a monthly salary of 2,000 dollars for his work in the production of drones. On September 18, after arriving in Moscow, he and other Yemenis were taken from the airport to a facility five hours away from Moscow. When they refused to sign the contracts, one of the men who were there fired a gun over their heads, Abdullah claimed.
According to him, they were then taken to the border with Ukraine, underwent simple military training and were sent to a military base near Rostov. Abdullah claims that many of the group he was with died in Ukraine. He declared that they were brought to war by “human-trafficking swindlers.”
In March, Indian special services reported that they had uncovered a “large network of human trafficking” whose members lured young men to Russia, where they were forced to participate in the war against Ukraine. Soon it became known that the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin agreed on the release from the Russian army of Indian citizens who were sent to war by deception. It is not known how many Indian citizens managed to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India reported that 120 citizens of the country were released from the Russian army and taken out of the combat zone.
The fact that the Russian authorities cooperate with the Yemeni Houthis was repeatedly reported by the mass media. In particular, according to CNN, Russia was preparing to supply the Yemeni Houthis with missiles and military equipment at the end of July, but abandoned these plans at the last moment after warnings from Saudi Arabia. According to TV channel sources, the Russian authorities considered arming and advising the Houthis as a way to take revenge on the administration of US President Joe Biden for the decision to allow Ukraine to strike Russian territory with the use of American weapons. The Reuters agency, citing Western and regional sources, reported that Russia, through the mediation of Iran, is conducting secret negotiations with the Yemeni Houthis regarding the supply of P-800 Onyx anti-ship cruise missiles.