Moscow has previously pulled mercenaries into its war effort in Ukraine and now appears to be recruiting much further afield.

Summary

Russia has reportedly recruited hundreds of Yemeni fighters to bolster its forces in Ukraine, promising high wages and Russian citizenship, according to the Financial Times.

Recruitment was facilitated by a company linked to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, amid growing ties between Russia and Iran-backed groups.

The move reflects Moscow’s reliance on foreign fighters to sustain its war effort, which has seen heavy casualties due to “meat grinder” tactics.

Similar reports have detailed recruitment of fighters from Syria and Nepal, alongside Russian reliance on mercenaries like the Wagner Group.

  • @IndustryStandard@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1•10 hours ago

    I have seen a lot of Houthi combat footage from the last year and exactly zero of it was child soldiers. Do you believe children are firing Palestine 2 cruise missiles at Tel Aviv?

      • @IndustryStandard@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0•9 hours ago

        Thank you for the link.

        Reading the report I do not understand tell whether it accuses the Houthis of training children to become soldiers (similar to military recruiters or camps in America), or sending those children to the front lines to fight while they are still underage.

        • Flying SquidMEnglish
          0•9 hours ago

          What exactly do you think they’re recruiting child soldiers for, the craft services table?

          This is some real wilful denial of war crimes.

          How do you even know the ages of the people you see in battlefield footage? Can you tell a 13-year-old from a 21-year-old on a battlefield at a distance via streaming video? What is it, 24k?