The Foreign Intelligence Service (FIS) of Ukraine has exposed a scheme to legalize and recruit foreign mercenaries — the Russians plan to involve at least 27 Yemeni citizens in the war in Ukraine.
This was reported by the press service of FIS.
According to FIS, in July 2026, the head of the selection point for military service under a contract in Khanty-Mansiysk Lieutenant Pervushin asked the border service to legalize Yemeni citizens on Russian territory. After that, the authorities wanted to conclude military service contracts with these Yemenis.
They are legalized in accordance with Putinʼs decree No. 821 on the temporary procedure for granting Russian citizenship and issuing a residence permit. However, in fact, foreigners are first legalized in the Russian Federation using a simplified procedure, and then they are registered for service.
Among the Yemeni citizens confirmed by Ukrainian intelligence to be being recruited for the war are men born in 2006 and 2007.
Russian mercenaries from other countries
According to the Coordination Headquarters, as of the end of March this year, 10 000 living and dead mercenaries had been identified, and hundreds more were in Ukrainian captivity.
There are currently established facts of recruitment into the Russian army of citizens of Nepal, India, Syria, Serbia and Somalia. The Russian Federation has also recruited into its army illegal migrants from the Finnish border who were trying to enter the EU through Russia.
In April 2025, Volodymyr Zelensky said that two Chinese citizens who fought as part of the Russian army were captured in the Donetsk region.
In January 2026, another scheme to recruit foreigners became known — Russians lured Bangladeshi citizens to supposedly civilian vacancies, and then sent them to fight against Ukraine. Russia also recruited 459 Peruvians to fight against Ukraine — 11 of them died.
Also in May, it became known that at least 204 Armenian citizens who fought against Ukraine in the ranks of the Russian army were killed or missing.
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