A Saturday report in Financial Times has claimed that Russia has recruited hundreds of mercenaries from Yemen to fighting against Ukraine. It comes amid recent Washington allegations that Moscow is increasingly looking abroad to bolster depleting troop ranks.

Some of the Yemeni recruits were cited in the FT report as saying they were initially promised jobs with “high salaries” and eventual Russian citizenship, but after a Houthi-linked company got them to Russia they were “forcibly inducted into the Russian army and sent to the front lines in Ukraine.”

The FT characterized it as a “shadowy trafficking operation” which is an extension of illicit arms dealing between Russia and Yemen, something which has been alleged by Western sources for months now.

On Moscow’s developing closer relations with the Iran-backed Houthis, who are currently waging a war against Israel and international shipping in the Red Sea, US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking told FT that Russia is “actively pursuing contacts.”

He alleged that Russian personnel have been in the capital of Sana’a facilitating this dialogue. “The kinds of weapons being discussed are very alarming and would enable the Houthis to better target ships in the Red Sea and potentially beyond,” Lenderking said to FT.