Russia lures Yemenis with cash incentives to fight against Ukraine
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MEE correspondent
on
Fri, 05/15/2026 - 15:31
While some Yemenis have been deceived into fighting on the front lines, many have knowingly joined up, drawn by high salaries and the promise of Russian citizenship
In this photo shared with Middle East Eye a group of Yemeni men, whose faces have been blurred, are pictured in Russian military fatigues. They are said to be fighting in Ukraine (Supplied)
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Russia is luring Yemeni fighters into its war against Ukraine with large cash payments, monthly salaries and the promise of citizenship, Middle East Eye has learned.
Multiple sources have told MEE that young men who once fought on the front lines in Taiz, Marib or along the Saudi border - either for Houthi forces, Yemeni government forces or UAE-backed militias - are being offered high salaries and bonuses that dwarf military pay in Yemen, turning Russia's war into a lucrative, and often deadly escape from poverty.
The family and friends of Ahmed Nabil, a young Yemeni who until last year was fighting with the Republican Guard forces on Yemen's western coast, was among scores of recruits to make the switch in the past year, they said.
Fawzi, a soldier who fought alongside him in the Republican Guard, told MEE that despite Nabil receiving a monthly salary of around $260, roughly the same as what an experienced accountant earns, he found the prospect of better pay in Russia hard to ignore.
"In the middle of 2025, around 10 soldiers, including Nabil, decided to travel to Russia. It seems they were in contact with someone who was already in Russia, but we weren't aware," Fawzi said.
"We tried to advise them, telling them that the fighting there is dangerous, but they confirmed they had enough experience to join any front line in the world."
Since 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine and captured roughly 20 percent of the country, reports emerged that Yemenis were being deceived into fighting for Russia, often after being promised well-paying civilian jobs.
But Fawzi said that all the soldiers he served with, who had now travelled to Russia, understood that they would be sent to the front lines.
'When I was told about these offers, I myself thought about joining the battles in [Ukraine]'
- Fawzi, Yemeni soldier
He said the financial incentives they were offered were enormous by Yemeni standards, with brokers reportedly promising recruits an upfront payment of $15,000, a monthly salary of $5,000 and the prospect of Russian citizenship.
"When I was told about these offers, I myself thought about joining the battles in [Ukraine]," Fawzi said.
"But when I saw that almost none of my colleagues had returned, I dismissed it, realising that those financial rewards would be paid with my blood."
Despite reports of Yemenis being killed or disappearing in Ukrainian forests, he said more fighters continue to leave every day, convinced their combat experience will help them survive.
Fighters plead to return home
Over the past year, several Yemeni fighters have begun posting updates on social media describing the "reality" on the ground.
Some of the posts have said that Yemenis who arrive on the front lines are generally prohibited from leaving until they complete a one-year contract with the Russian military.
Many have described conditions far harsher than anything they had experienced in Yemen's bloody war, with some actively warning others not to come.
Meanwhile, some of the accounts MEE has been monitoring have failed to post any updates for several months, lending speculation that they may have been killed in action.
A handful of those who have appeared in videos have appealed to the Yemeni government for help in bringing them back.
So far, however, the Yemeni government has taken no public action. There are also no official figures for the number of Yemenis fighting in Ukraine because most travel through unofficial brokers rather than formal channels.
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Umm Tawheed, who says her son was killed in Ukraine after travelling to Russia without her knowledge, said she lamented not being able to bury her loved one.
"My son was fighting on the border with Saudi Arabia, but five months ago I was shocked to discover he had travelled to fight in [Ukraine]," she said.
"I was not happy to hear that, and I asked his wife to tell him to return, but I was told it was impossible."
She said she begged relatives and neighbours to help bring him home but last month received the news she feared most.
"I heard Tawheed's wife crying and shouting. At that point I knew Tawheed had been killed," she recalled.
"I don't remember what happened next, but it seems I fainted for a while before I woke up to find the whole family surrounding me, everyone except Tawheed, who was gone forever."
Tawheed, a father of three, had initially joined fighting on the Saudi border to provide for his wife, children and mother. In the end, his mother said, her only wish was to see him one final time.
"My last hope was to see his dead body, but that was also impossible."
Unable to continue speaking about her son, she instead offered a warning to other families.
"Do not allow your husbands and sons to join battles, whether in Yemen or in [Ukraine], because the pain of this loss is unforgettable."
'That is not our war'
Many Yemeni families oppose the idea of their sons fighting in Ukraine, but for the fighters themselves, the journey is often a desperate attempt to escape poverty.
Mahmoud Al-Sabri, 37, fought on several front lines in Yemen. In late 2025, he told his family he was travelling to work in a restaurant in Djibouti, a small country in the Horn of Africa. Although he did travel there, relatives later discovered he had continued on to Russia.
"No one is happy to see their son fight in [Ukraine]," Mahmoud's father, Mustafa, told MEE.
"That is not our war, and I'm not sure what made my son join it."
Mustafa insisted his son was not simply motivated by money and suggested he may have been manipulated.
"He told me he was travelling to work in Djibouti, and then we were shocked to discover he was in Russia. I can’t talk to him now, but I hope he returns soon so we can know the truth."
The family last heard from Mahmoud in early April, when he told them he was in a forest with other fighters.
"We don't know if he is alive, dead, or detained, but I hope we hear his voice soon."
Mohammed Ali, an experienced journalist and observer, said that while most Yemenis travelling to Russia today understand they will be fighting, some in earlier recruitment waves were deceived by brokers.
"The brokers tell the victims they will be doing civilian work, such as working in restaurants or on farms. But when they arrive in Russia, they find themselves in military camps and have no choice but to sign one-year military contracts."
Ali said this deception was particularly common among groups sent to Russia in 2023 and early 2024. More recently, however, most recruits appear fully aware they are heading to the front lines.
"The poor economic situation and the irregular payment of salaries within the Yemeni army and other military groups have played a major role in forcing Yemeni fighters to travel to Russia in search of a better income."
Last year, MEE reported that young Jordanians were being promised safe, high-paying jobs in Russia, only to be sent to fight in Ukraine - under threats, deception and false contracts.
In March, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov acknowledged that foreigners were fighting in Ukraine but said his government did not hire or recruit people to fight against their will.
"Volunteers get there in full compliance with Russian legislation," he said.
MEE contacted the Yemeni, Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministries for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Russia-Ukraine war
Taiz, Yemen
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