Russia has fired a top commander from his post for making false claims about the progress of the war in eastern Ukraine, while recruiting hundreds of mercenaries from Yemen.

Lt. Gen. Gennady Anashkin, the commander of the Southern Forces Group, was fired after providing misleading information about Russian advances near the settlement of Siversk east of Donetsk, according to Russian media citing unnamed sources in the Russian Defense Ministry who said he was removed as part of a planned rotation, while there was no official confirmation.

Some military bloggers claim that false reports by some commanders about the situation on the ground led to heavy losses among Russian units.

The Financial Times reports that the Russians have meanwhile recruited hundreds of mercenaries from Yemen to fight against Ukraine.

The recruits told the British newspaper that they were promised lucrative jobs, "high wages" and even Russian citizenship. However, after arriving in Russia with the help of a company linked to the Houthi rebels, "they were forced into the Russian army and sent to the front lines in Ukraine," the report said.

The FT described it "as a covert human trafficking operation", underscoring deepening ties between the Kremlin and Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi militants.