The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine has identified at least 27 Yemeni citizens whom Russia first intends to legalize in the territory of the Russian Federation and then involve in the war against Ukraine. The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine reports this, as UNN informs.
Details
The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine has identified at least 27 Yemeni citizens whom the Russian side plans to involve in the war against Ukraine. Russian military structures are directly involved in processing these individuals, indicating an established administrative mechanism for recruitment
It is claimed that in July 2026, the head of the recruitment office for contract military service in Khanty-Mansiysk, Lieutenant K. Pervushin, approached the Border Guard Service of the FSB of the Russian Federation with a request to legalize the stay of certain Yemeni citizens in Russia. The purpose of the request was to conclude military service contracts with these individuals after their legalization.
The legal basis for this legalization was Putin's Decree No. 821 of November 5, 2025, which introduced a temporary procedure for admission to Russian citizenship and the issuance of residence permits. Formally, the document is a migration regulation; however, in practice, it is being used as an instrument for supplying manpower for the war against Ukraine.
Under the established scheme, a foreign national is first legalized in Russia through a simplified procedure and is then registered for contract service. Thus, the recruitment of foreign nationals into the Russian army is becoming systematic, involving the FSB Border Guard Service and specialized military enlistment offices. Among the Yemeni citizens identified by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine are people born in 2006 and 2007—that is, very young people whom the Kremlin is prepared to throw into the war in exchange for money and the promise of legal status in Russia
We remind you
The authorities of Irkutsk Oblast established the highest reward in Russia for recruiting foreigners into contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense—1.5 million rubles for each person recruited.