Nabil dreamed of a new life. With the prospect of a well-paid job in Russia, he envisioned earning enough to complete his studies and support his family. The reality, however, was a nightmare: a few weeks after his arrival in Moscow, he found himself in a Ukrainian forest, under bombing, wearing a Russian military uniform that he had never asked to wear.
Like him, hundreds of Yemeni men have been lured by promises of prestigious jobs, generous salaries and, for many, the hope of obtaining Russian citizenship. The truth was very different: contracts in Russian that they could not read, armed threats and a journey of no return to the battlefields of Ukraine.
Behind this operation lies an intricate and disturbing network, linking the Kremlin to the Houthi rebels in Yemen, supported by Iran. According to the Financial Times, seemingly legitimate companies, such as Al Jabri General Trading & Investment Co., act as fronts for human trafficking that feeds the Kremlin’s need for wartime labor.
Between July and September 2024, numerous Yemenis were persuaded to travel to Russia with promises of jobs in sectors such as security or engineering. Once they arrived, their choice was only one: sign contracts that would bind them to the Russian army or face death threats.
One of them, Abdullah, told the media that he was forcibly taken to a center near Moscow, where a gunman shot over the heads of the group to force them to sign. “I did it because I was scared,” he said.
“We are cannon fodder”, Nabil confesses in a broken voice, talking about himself and his companions, thrown into Ukraine without any real training, without adequate equipment to face the harsh winter and with no possibility of escape. “They don’t even give us five minutes of rest. We are exhausted, exhausted,” he says in a video sent to his family. The desperation is so profound that one of his companions attempted suicide, unable to bear the anguish of an unsustainable situation.
Many, like Nabil, have never had military experience, yet they are sent to the front, with no way out. Among the Ukrainian trenches, the victims multiply and the dream of a better life is tragically shattered.
Russia’s involvement with the Houthis is not just a military issue. This tie signals a new chapter in the Kremlin’s strategy to extend its influence in the Middle East, taking advantage of anti-Western allies such as Iran and its military networks.
The United States is watching with concern growing Russian support for the Houthis, which could include the transfer of advanced weaponry such as anti-ship missiles. These could threaten not only shipping in the Red Sea, but also global security.
The use of Yemeni mercenaries, along with soldiers of other nationalities recruited under similar conditions, reflects the Kremlin’s desperation to sustain its war effort without resorting to general mobilization. However, this strategy leaves behind a trail of destroyed lives and broken families.
Organizations such as the International Federation of Yemeni Migrants are trying to bring these atrocities to light and bring survivors home. But, as their president Ali Al-Subahi points out, “Hundreds of Yemenis are still trapped in Russia, victims of a war they did not choose.” The stories of Nabil, Abdullah and the other Yemeni mercenaries remind us that behind every conflict there are human lives sacrificed on the altar of geopolitical ambitions.
