According to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SZRU), at least 27 Yemeni citizens have been identified as people russia plans to involve in the war. The case points to a broader russian effort to recruit foreigners for the war.
According to Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, russia has already recruited more than 28,000 foreign mercenaries for the war, while russian forces are using citizens of more than 40 countries, including countries in Central Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Most of these foreign recruits are used in assault units.
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The SZRU noted that the latest case was identified in July 2026. Lieutenant K. Pervushin, head of a contract military service recruitment center in Khanty-Mansiysk, approached the FSB Border Guard Service with a request to legalize the stay of several Yemeni citizens in russia.
The stated purpose was to legalize their status and subsequently sign military service contracts with them. The SZRU identified at least 27 Yemeni citizens whom the russian side plans to involve in the war against Ukraine. Some of those identified were born in 2006 and 2007.
The legal basis for the procedure is russian president vladimir putin’s Decree No. 821 of November 5, 2025, which introduced a temporary procedure for granting russian citizenship and issuing residence permits.
According to the SZRU, the procedure is formally a migration measure but is being used in practice to facilitate the recruitment of foreign nationals into the russian military. Under the scheme described by the intelligence service, foreigners are first granted legal status in russia through a simplified procedure and are then processed for contract military service.
The process involves the FSB Border Guard Service and military recruitment offices. The SZRU said the involvement of russian military structures in the process indicates an established administrative mechanism for recruiting foreign nationals.
The Yemeni case is not the first reported instance of russia recruiting citizens of Yemen for the war against Ukraine. In October 2024, the SZRU reported that Yemenis were being recruited in Oman, where many had moved amid the conflict in Yemen. Recruiters offered contracts with the russian defense Ministry, a salary of around $3,000, and a simplified procedure for obtaining russian citizenship.
russia’s recruitment campaign extends well beyond Yemen. According to Defence Intelligence chief Lieutenant General Oleh Ivashchenko, russia has recruited more than 28,000 foreign mercenaries for the war. On September 9, he also said that russian forces were using citizens of more than 40 countries, including from Central Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with most being used in assault units.
russia has also set specific recruitment targets for foreign nationals. According to Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, the russian defense Ministry plans to recruit at least 18,500 foreign citizens into the armed forces in 2026. russian military authorities have shown particular interest in citizens of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.
russian recruitment efforts also target migrants who face problems with their legal status. These can include expired tourist or student visas, difficulties extending a visa or legalizing their stay, and administrative detention for violations of russian migration laws. In such cases, foreigners can be offered military service as an alternative to deportation or imprisonment.
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