Russia's Deception: Migrants Lured for Work, Sent to War
World
Russia has been employing controversial strategies to bolster its military strength on an international scale. According to the UK's Financial Times, since at least July 2024, Russia has been actively recruiting Yemeni citizens to participate in the war in Ukraine.
Yemen has been trapped in a civil war for the past decade, making it one of the poorest nations on the Arabian Peninsula. This ongoing crisis has significantly lowered the living standards of its population, leading many to see opportunities to work abroad as a crucial lifeline. Russia has capitalized on this desperation by recruiting Yemenis to take part in military operations in Ukraine.
The contracts offered by Russia promise unusually high salaries for Yemeni standards, but in exchange, people are being sent to deadly war zones through fraudulent means.
Financial Times published harrowing stories from two Yemeni nationals, Abdullah and Nabil, who were lured to Russia with the promise of work in professional fields, including the UAV industry or security services. They were led to believe they would be involved in civilian jobs, but upon arriving in Russia, they were sent to war.
According to Abdullah, after his group refused to sign a military contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense, they were threatened with weapons. Soldiers shot into the air to force them to sign contracts. Nabil, on the other hand, had been promised jobs in “security” or “engineering,” but instead, he was ultimately sent to the frontlines of the war.
Abdullah emphasizes that he was deceived by human traffickers and was eventually forced to fight in a deadly conflict, which he never agreed to.
Yemeni citizens are not the only ones being deceived into participating in the war. In the spring of 2024, similar cases were reported in India, where human trafficking networks were reportedly sending Indian nationals to Russia. A similar pattern of fraud had previously been observed in Nepal.
Russia's recruitment practices in the global south raise serious questions about the exploitation of economic vulnerability and the violation of international laws. According to Astra, this manipulation highlights the dark side of Russian recruitment, exploiting the economic desperation of impoverished nations while breaching human rights and international agreements.
The contracts offered by Russia promise unusually high salaries for Yemeni standards, but in exchange, people are being sent to deadly war zones through fraudulent means.
Financial Times published harrowing stories from two Yemeni nationals, Abdullah and Nabil, who were lured to Russia with the promise of work in professional fields, including the UAV industry or security services. They were led to believe they would be involved in civilian jobs, but upon arriving in Russia, they were sent to war.
According to Abdullah, after his group refused to sign a military contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense, they were threatened with weapons. Soldiers shot into the air to force them to sign contracts. Nabil, on the other hand, had been promised jobs in “security” or “engineering,” but instead, he was ultimately sent to the frontlines of the war.
Abdullah emphasizes that he was deceived by human traffickers and was eventually forced to fight in a deadly conflict, which he never agreed to.
Yemeni citizens are not the only ones being deceived into participating in the war. In the spring of 2024, similar cases were reported in India, where human trafficking networks were reportedly sending Indian nationals to Russia. A similar pattern of fraud had previously been observed in Nepal.
Russia's recruitment practices in the global south raise serious questions about the exploitation of economic vulnerability and the violation of international laws. According to Astra, this manipulation highlights the dark side of Russian recruitment, exploiting the economic desperation of impoverished nations while breaching human rights and international agreements.
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