Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was sentenced to 25 years in the United States and then exchanged in 2022, is now an intermediary in the sale of weapons to the Yemeni Houthis, who are supported by Iran.
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Viktor Bout sold Soviet-made weapons in Africa, South America and the Middle East for decades. In 2008, he was detained in the USA and in 2011 he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. However, he did not serve the full prison term — in 2022, the United States and Russia exchanged prisoners. Russian merchant Brutus was traded for American basketball player Brittney Greiner. At the time, the White House called it a difficult decision. And Sullivan, the US presidentʼs national security adviser, said that his country would monitor any threats that Victor Bout might pose to Americans.
After his release, Bout appeared to have moved away from his past, joining a pro-Kremlin far-right party and appearing on Russian television as a commentator on Russian politics and a critic of the United States, which he says is out to destroy Russia. He was also mentioned from time to time in the Russian media as an expert on the arms trade.
However, in August 2024, when the Yemeni Houthis came to Moscow to buy $10 million worth of Russian weapons, it was Viktor Bout who became the mediator of the negotiations. New York lawyer Steve Zissou, who represented Booth in the US, did not deny or confirm this information. At the same time, he emphasized that if the Russian government allowed Bout to sell weapons to the Houthis, one of the opponents of the United States, it would be equivalent to the Americans sending weapons to Ukraine.
Threats of supplying arms to the Yemeni Houthis
If Yemenʼs Houthis receive anti-ship or anti-aircraft missiles from Russia, it could threaten American forces protecting vessels in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks. However, the White House now has no confirmation of Boutʼs involvement in these processes and that Russia has already transferred weapons.
At the same time, The Wall Street Journal writes that the upcoming first two deliveries will include mainly AK-74 assault rifles — an updated version of the AK-47 assault rifle. But the trip also discussed other weapons the Russian side could potentially sell, including Kornet anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft weapons.
Deliveries may begin as early as October to the port of Hodeida under the guise of food supplies — Russia has already supplied grain there.
What preceded
In the Red Sea, since November 2023, Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis have been attacking merchant ships allegedly linked to Israel. Ships in the Gulf of Aden, through which an important trade route passes, are hit by missile and drone strikes.
In January 2024, the United States and Britain launched a military operation against the Houthis in the Red Sea, and in February, the European Union launched its own operation against them. At the end of February, the first ship sank in the Red Sea due to attacks by the Yemeni Houthis. At the beginning of March, it became known that the shipʼs crew members were killed for the first time due to an attack by the Yemeni Houthis.
In mid-March, the US held secret talks with Iran, trying to convince Tehran to use its influence on the Yemeni Houthis to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea.
Also, the Yemeni Houthis twice attacked a ship of Ukraine, which is used by Poland.
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