WSJ: Russia gave data to Yemenʼs Houthis for attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea

Author:
Oleksandra Opanasenko
Date:

The Yemeni Houthis used data from Russian satellites for drone and missile attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) writes about this with reference to sources, including representatives of the defense ministries of European countries.

The Houthis began attacking Western vessels in the Red Sea after the war between Israel and the pro-Palestinian group Hamas began late last year. Since November 2023, the Houthis have fired at more than 100 ships, sinking two of them and capturing one.

Russian satellite data helped the Houthis expand their strikes, two European military officials and another source familiar with the situation told the WSJ. The data was transmitted through Iranʼs Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The Houthi attacks have disrupted global trade as shippers have had to divert vessels to a longer and more expensive route around Africa.

Russiaʼs aid to the Yemeni Houthis, according to the WSJ, shows how far Russian leader Vladimir Putin is willing to go to undermine the Western economic and political order under the leadership of the United States. By April 2024, the United States had spent nearly a billion dollars on destroying Houthi drones and missiles and protecting shipping in the Red Sea. Washington also sent B-2 Spirit bombers to the region to strike Houthi arsenals.

WSJ previously reported that the 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 arms to the Yemeni Houthis.

Threats of supplying arms to the Yemeni Houthis

If the Yemeni Houthis receive anti-ship or anti-aircraft missiles from Russia, it could threaten American forces protecting vessels in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks. Analysts said that if the Russian government sold weapons to the Houthis, one of the opponents of the United States, it would be equivalent to the Americans sending weapons to Ukraine.

According to CNN, Russia was preparing to supply the Yemeni Houthis with missiles and military equipment in late July 2024, but abandoned those plans at the last minute after warnings from Saudi Arabia. So Russia allegedly wanted to take revenge on the US administration for allowing Ukraine to strike the territory of the Russian Federation with American weapons.

Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea

In the Red Sea, since November 2023, Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis have continued to attack merchant vessels 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 Great Britain launched a military operation against the Houthis in the Red Sea, and in February, the European Union also launched its 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. Also, the Yemeni Houthis twice attacked a ship of Ukraine, which is used by Poland.

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.

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