Ukraine intelligence: Russia plans to recruit Yemeni nationals for war

Moscow has been recruiting foreign fighters from countries such as Nepal, Somalia, India, and Cuba since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022. The full extent of these recruitment efforts cannot be independently verified.

In July, the head of a military recruitment office in Russia's Siberian city of Khanty-Mansiysk asked the border guard to legalize Yemeni nationals in Russia, the agency said. The Russian authorities then allegedly planned to sign military contracts with them. The Yemeni nationals are being legalized under a decree by Russian President Vladimir Putin on a temporary procedure for granting citizenship and residence permits. According to the agency, they are first legalized in Russia through a simplified procedure and then recruited for military service.

Reports that Russia was recruiting "hundreds" of Yemeni mercenaries to fight in Ukraine emerged in 2024. North Korea remains the largest contributor of foreign troops to Russia's war effort, having previously deployed 12,000 troops to aid in a Russian-led counteroffensive in Kursk Oblast in 2025.