Russian arms dealer trying to sell arms to Houthis: WSJ

• Viktor Bout brokers arms sales to Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, according to The Wall Street Journal.
• Bout was released in a prisoner exchange with Brittney Griner after a decade in US custody.
• Houthi rebels have been attacking merchant ships in the Red Sea since last year.

The notorious Russian arms dealer, who was traded for American basketball star Brittney Griner two years ago, is trying to sell weapons to Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Viktor Bout, sometimes nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” was arrested in a US sting operation in 2008 after spending decades smuggling Soviet-made weapons from Europe to the Middle East and Africa.

He was later convicted of multiple charges, including conspiracy to kill US citizens and officials and delivery of anti-aircraft missiles.

After serving a decade in US custody, he was released in 2022 as part of a high-profile prisoner swap for Griner, who had been detained in Russia after bringing a small amount of cannabis oil into the country.

After his release, Bout appeared to have turned his attention to politics, joining an ultranationalist pro-Kremlin party and winning a seat in the local assembly.

However, according to the Journal, he is back in the business of brokering arms deals — a fear Pentagon officials voiced just days after his release.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, including a European security official, the Journal reported that Bout was present at a negotiation in Moscow in August where the Houthis sought to negotiate the purchase of $10 million worth of automatic weapons.

The sources told the publication that two Houthi representatives traveled to Moscow under the guise of buying vehicles and pesticides.

They told the Journal they did not know whether the deal was being negotiated on behalf of the Kremlin or just with its tacit support.

The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

According to people familiar with the matter speaking to the Journal, the deliveries, mostly of AK-74s, could begin as early as October under the guise of food supplies.

Houthi rebels have repeatedly attacked merchant ships in the Red Sea since last year, although some attacks have targeted Israeli and US military vessels.

The US and Western allies launched counterattacks to counter these efforts, which had major economic implications.

According to an April report by the Defense Intelligence Agency, container shipping through the Red Sea has fallen massively, alternative shipping routes are driving up travel costs, and insurance premiums for Red Sea transits have risen.

“We are currently seeing premiums of up to 2% of vessel value for a single Red Sea transit amid fluctuating insurer appetite,” Louise Nevill, CEO, UK, cargo and logistics, with broker Marsh, told Reuters at the beginning of this month. This is compared to a figure of 0.7% just a few weeks earlier.

In January, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken he told reporters at a press conference that Houthi attacks on international shipping are “a threat to everyone.”

The Houthis have also launched drones and missiles at Israel, which they say is supporting the Palestinians in Gaza.

For months, U.S. intelligence agencies have warned that Russia could arm the Houthi rebels with anti-ship missiles in retaliation for U.S. support for Ukraine, according to the Journal.

“These attacks have a real effect on the prices people have to pay for food, medicine, energy,” Blinken said. “Ships have to be diverted to other places, insurance rates go up, and the basic principle of freedom of navigation is what’s at stake.”

While the weapons deal orchestrated by Viktor Bout does not involve anti-ship missiles, it would still represent a notable Russian intervention in the ongoing Red Sea crisis.