Russian embassy urges citizens to avoid travel to Yemen

The Russian Embassy in Yemen has advised Russian citizens to refrain from traveling to the country, including the island of Socotra, amid a deteriorating security situation.

The diplomatic mission referred to its earlier statement from December 7, 2025, noting that the situation in Yemen’s southeastern provinces has continued to escalate, Caliber.Az reports, citing the embassy’s official Telegram channel. 

The embassy urged Russian nationals who are currently in Yemen or planning to visit for tourism to remain vigilant and exercise heightened caution.

The embassy also recalled that a state of emergency and a ban on crossing borders, introduced by Yemeni authorities on December 30, 2025, remain in effect across the country.

In addition, Russian diplomats called on travel companies organising tours to Socotra to fully inform potential travelers about the situation in Yemen and to warn them of the high risk of unforeseen incidents.

Saudi-backed forces said on January 2 they had taken control of ‌key locations in Hadramout, a large province with stretches of desert along the Saudi border, and on January 3 witnesses said they had entered parts of the region’s capital Mukalla.

Yemen, split for a decade between warring regions, sits at a highly strategic location between the world’s top oil exporter Saudi Arabia and the Bab ​al-Mandeb strait that guards the vital sea route between Europe and Asia.

The STC has for years been part of the internationally recognised government that controls southern and eastern Yemen and is backed ‍by Gulf states against the Houthis.

By Sabina Mammadli