Politics Report: Mercenaries from Yemen are helping Russia in the Ukraine war

According to a report in the Financial Times, Russia is not only relying on North Korean soldiers in the war against Ukraine, but also on support from Yemeni Houthi rebels.

The militia is recruiting recruits in their country for deployment in the Russian military and has already provided hundreds of Yemeni mercenaries to Russia through "shady human trafficking", the newspaper reported. Meanwhile, the situation in Ukraine is the focus of two meetings today: the foreign ministers of the G7 countries are meeting near Rome, while Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) is meeting with his colleagues from France, Great Britain, Poland and Italy in Berlin.

Meanwhile, the war in the battered country continues unabated. The Russian army again covered Ukraine with swarms of drones during the night. The kamikaze drones penetrated Ukrainian airspace from several directions. Whole groups of such aircraft were reported from several parts of the country. Nothing was initially known about the targets of the drone attacks.

Ukraine, for its part, also sent drones towards Russia again. According to Russian reports, debris from downed drones set fire to an industrial plant around 200 kilometers southwest of Moscow. Three aircraft were destroyed by air defenses on the outskirts of Kaluga, wrote the governor of the region of the same name, Vladislav Shapcha, on Telegram. The debris had fallen onto the site of the industrial company and caused a fire. No one was injured.

As a rule, it is almost impossible to independently verify the claims of both warring parties.

Ukraine has been fending off a large-scale Russian invasion for more than two and a half years. Russia has been shelling Ukrainian territory almost every night with its long-range weapons in an attempt to paralyze the energy supply. Many civilian targets are also hit. Ukraine lacks air defense. For its part, it has increased the range of its combat drones and is targeting Russian refineries and fuel supply facilities.

Report: Moscow reinforces army with fighters from Yemen

Due to high losses, Moscow recently reinforced its troops with around 10,000 North Korean soldiers. According to the Financial Times, the mercenary aid has now been expanded: Citing people involved, the newspaper reported that some men had been lured in Yemen with the prospect of paid work in Russia and Russian citizenship. Upon their arrival in Russia, however, they were then conscripted into the Russian armed forces and immediately sent to the front in Ukraine.

Recruitment in Yemen was carried out by a company founded by a prominent Houthi politician. A recruitment contract available to the newspaper indicates that Yemenis have been recruited for the Russian military since July. The Houthis, who are allied with Iran, have been attacking merchant ships passing the coast of Yemen since the outbreak of the Gaza war. According to their own statements, they want to force an end to the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip.

Russia is also promoting service on the front line at home - and exploiting the predicament of young people, who are often in debt. For example, the Kremlin wants to use a new law to forgive loan debts of up to ten million roubles (around 91,000 euros) for volunteers to serve in the war. Anyone who signs up for military service, regardless of whether they are recruits, conscripts or contract soldiers, will have their debts forgiven. President Vladimir Putin signed the corresponding law on Saturday, as Russian media reported the following day. However, there are also reports of forced recruitment of young men in Ukraine.

Ukraine receives support

According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Ukraine has been assured of further massive support from its partners. In addition to new weapons and ammunition aid from the USA worth 275 million dollars (around 263 million euros), the Nordic countries Denmark, Sweden and Norway have put together a financial package to benefit the Ukrainian arms industry.

"Denmark has provided around one billion crowns (around 134 million euros)," said Selenskyj. Sweden wants to join the Danish financing model, while Norway has already prepared a first tranche. Selenskyj did not specify the exact sums from these countries. Germany and Canada have also provided new weapons and equipment in recent days.

Ministerial meeting in Italy and Germany

Defense Minister Pistorius wants to meet with his colleagues from France, Great Britain, Poland and Italy in Berlin today to discuss measures to strengthen security and defense in Europe. The recent deployment of a new Russian medium-range missile against Ukraine is also likely to play an important role.

The foreign ministers of the G7 countries are meeting today in Fiuggi near Rome for their last meeting of the year. During their two-day meeting, the chief diplomats of the seven democratic industrialized nations will discuss the situation in the trouble spots in Ukraine and the Middle East, among other things.

SDA