by Admin
Nov 24, 2024
The Russian government has decided to recruit the Houthis mercenaries to aid them in their war in Ukraine, with a promise of high financial payments and Russian citizenship in exchange for their services. This new alliance shows the deep ties between Moscow, Yemen, and the Houthis militia group.
The arrival of the Houthis mercenaries began in July and adds to the growing increase of foreign troops Russia has recruited to help fight their war in Ukraine against Ukrainian forces and NATO allied troops.
Earlier in September, the Ukrainian government announced that the Russian government had received 12,000 North Korean troops and in October 7,000 of the North Korean troops were deployed into the Kursk region of Russia to help fight the Ukrainian occupation forces that have captured the region since August while the remaining 5000 was deployed into Ukraine to conduct an offensive in the Southern Ukrainian region.
The Houthis were recruited through a Yemeni-linked company in Moscow, a company founded by Abdulwali Abdo Hassan al-Jabri, a prominent Houthi politician. The company is registered in Salalah, Oman, the Al Jabri company’s registration documents identify it as a tour operator and retail supplier of medical equipment and pharmaceuticals.
The presence of the Houthis militias has increased the number of foreign fighters that joined forces with the Russian military, Nepal, Indian, and Belarusian mercenaries have been fighting in Ukraine on behalf of the Russian army as the Kremlin is looking for all possible ways to avoid a full mobilization of their forces.
The Houthis militia group is sponsored by the Iranian government which has been a major supporter of Russia in its war in Ukraine, last year Iran supplied the Russian army with thousands of Kamikaze drones and missiles, and in September, Russia sent missile defense systems to Tehran to support the Iranian government in its war against Israel.
The United States diplomats have expressed their concerns and are surprised by the Kremlin’s level of desperation in their recruitment of the Houthis militias, they said that they never thought such an alliance could be feasible between the Kremlin and the Houthis and quite unimaginable before the war in Ukraine.
Tim Lenderking, the United States envoy to Yemen confirmed the report that the Houthis and the Russian government have established communications and are also discussing the possibility of transferring weapons to the Houthis militias who have been involved in hostilities with Israel since the beginning of the Conflict in Gaza Strip in October last year.
Lenderking further explained, “We know that there are Russian personnel in Sana’a helping to deepen this dialogue … The kinds of weapons that are being discussed are very alarming, and would enable the Houthis to better target ships in the Red Sea and possibly beyond.”
Mohammed al Bukhaiti, a member of the Ansar Allah politburo, told the Russian news website Meduza earlier this month that they were in “constant contact” with the Russian leadership “to develop these relations in all areas, including economics, politics, and the military”.
The Houthis are recognized as formidable fighters and have fought in the Syrian war and against ISIS in Yemen and Afghanistan. The group has been responsible for several attacks against Israel bond ships in the Red Sea over the past year and in September the United States government tried to establish a diplomatic relationship between Israel and Houthis which the Houthis leadership declined unless there is a ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank.
Prodesq political war analyst, Temitope Oladeji, said that the Russian government’s ties with the Houthis did not start with the war in Ukraine but rather with Russia’s involvement in the Syria war when Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to support Syrian President Assad in his war against western-backed ISIS to divide the country into different factions, and more importantly the relationship between Iran and Russia help cemented the transaction between the Houthis and the Kremlin.