Under Iranian Directives and UN Coordination, Detained Russian Sailor Leaves Sana’a Accompanied By Houthi Leaders
Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The Houthi group announced today, Thursday, that a Russian sailor who had been detained by them since the Red Sea events has left on a UN aircraft from Sana’a Airport.
The group’s Foreign Ministry in Sana’a stated in a statement that the Russian sailor, who had been detained due to his presence on board the ship “Eternity Sea,” which was flying the Liberian flag, left today in preparation for his return to his country, Russia.
The group revealed that the step came based on communications between “the brothers in the Islamic Republic of Iran” and the Russian side, without providing further details about the nature of the communications, indicating full compliance with the Iranian desire.
It pointed out that the Russian national was transported via a United Nations aircraft, in coordination with the UN envoy, explaining that the sailor had been receiving treatment in Sana’a, and it was decided that he would travel after completing his treatment and recovering.
The group said in its Foreign Ministry statement that the flight included “the return of a number of stranded individuals and patients from abroad, as well as the travel of a number of stranded individuals and patients from inside.”
Yemeni journalist Fares Al-Hemyari revealed that the UN aircraft that transported the Russian sailor also carried a number of Houthi group leaders who had been receiving treatment abroad due to injuries sustained from military airstrikes, in addition to other leaders leaving on the same aircraft.
The incident of the MV Eternity C dates back to July 7, 2025, when the Houthi group targeted it in the southern Red Sea with a drone boat and six cruise and ballistic missiles, resulting in the complete sinking of the Liberian-flagged tanker.
The attack at the time resulted in deaths, injuries, and the disappearance of 14 crew members, while the group claimed that the targeting was on the pretext that the ship was heading to the Israeli port of Eilat.
The incident sparked widespread international condemnation, with the United States and the European Union holding “Iran-allied militias” fully responsible for the destruction of the ship and jeopardizing international navigation.
