As separatists surrounded Yemen's de facto capital of Aden on Jan. 30, speculation grew about whether Russia would pick a side in the conflict or, in a more likely scenario, offer to intercede as a mediator.
Just a week before, Abdul-Malik al-Mekhlafi — who is both the Yemeni deputy prime minister and foreign minister — traveled to Moscow seeking Russian influence to stop Iran from supporting the Houthi rebels and interfering in Yemeni domestic affairs.