Hundreds of Iranian-backed Houthi-linked fighters from Yemen have reportedly been recruited by Moscow in a shadowy operation to lure more foreign fighters to the front lines.

One recruit told the Financial Times that he was forced to sign an enlistment contract that he could not read before being sent to Ukraine.

Russia has recruited hundreds of Yemeni mercenaries to fight in Ukraine, the Financial Times reported, as the Kremlin increasingly looks to foreign troops to limit the impact of the war on the domestic population.

Yemeni recruits say they have already been sent to the frontlines of Ukraine after being inducted into the Russian military with help from a Houthi-linked company