On September 27, 2024, a group of Yemeni youths made a heartfelt plea to the internationally recognized Yemeni government, urging intervention to rescue them from the horrors of the Russia-Ukraine war and facilitate their return home. They claim to have been deceived and recruited to fight in Russia under false pretenses.

In a widely circulated video and a written appeal, the young men called on Yemeni officials and the Yemeni ambassador to Russia to bring them back to their homeland. They explained that they had been lured with promises of employment in a Russian company, only to find themselves near the front lines of combat in Ukraine.

The youths revealed they were brought from Oman, where they had been working, and that others from within Yemen were similarly misled. They were promised financial compensation amounting to $10,000, with an additional $4,000 as bonuses, and a monthly salary of $3,000.

They accused a company named “Al-Jabri” and its representatives in Oman and Russia of orchestrating their recruitment. The company reportedly received them in Moscow in three separate groups and transported them to a Wagner-affiliated camp.

After being moved to a training facility in the Rostov region, they received military training. When they inquired about the purpose of their presence and training at the camp, they were told that their role would be in security detail.

The youths were promised Russian citizenship and, after 45 days of training, they were deployed to various combat fronts in Ukraine. They reported that nine of their group members had died, with others still missing, and indicated that the remaining Yemenis were being summoned to Russian command.

The Yemeni youths called on their embassy to take immediate action for their repatriation, warning that they would resort to a hunger strike if no intervention occurred. They estimate that about 200 young men were deceived by Al-Jabri’s company.