Freed by US, Russian arms dealer selling guns to Houthis

The Biden administration is concerned Moscow might arm the Houthis with such weapons in retaliation for U.S. support for Ukraine.

By JNS

Viktor Bout, aka the “Merchant of Death,” a Russian arms dealer who spent 12 years in a U.S. prison before his release almost two years ago, is back brokering weapons sales, this time to Yemen’s Houthis.

Bout, who reportedly inspired the 2005 Hollywood movie, “Lord of War,” starring Nicolas Cage, was released 13 years short of his 25-year sentence for conspiracy to kill American citizens and officials, delivery of anti-aircraft missiles, and providing aid to a terrorist organization, in a one-to-one prisoner exchange for Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star Brittney Griner on Dec. 8, 2022.

After his release, Bout, 57, known for his distinctive moustache, won a local seat in a regional parliament for a pro-Kremlin, far-right party in 2023, suggesting a new career path in politics.

But when Houthi emissaries came to Moscow in August to purchase $10 million in small arms, it was Bout sitting across the table, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing a European security official and others.

The Houthis came under the pretense of buying pesticides and vehicles, visiting a factory of Lada, a state-owned manufacturer of small vehicles, sources said.

On Jan. 17, the U.S. announced it would redesignate the Houthis a terrorist group after having lifted the Iranian proxy’s terrorist designation on Feb. 16, 2021.

The Houthis have wreaked havoc with international shipping, targeting vessels passing off Yemen’s Red Sea coast. They have also joined the battle against Israel, firing drones and missiles at the Jewish state. Israel has twice retaliated.

An escalation for Russia

Sources who spoke to the paper didn’t know if the deal came at the Kremlin’s request or simply with its tacit approval.

“The first two deliveries will be mostly AK-74s, an upgraded version of the AK-47 assault rifle,” the Journal reported.

The small arms have not yet been delivered, and while they fall short of the more advanced anti-ship or anti-aircraft missiles that could threaten the U.S. military, the sales would “mark an escalation” for Russia, the paper noted.

The Biden administration is concerned Moscow might arm the Houthis with such weapons in retaliation for U.S. support for Ukraine.

According to sources, “during the trip, Houthi representatives also discussed other weapons the Russian side might potentially sell, including Kornet antitank missiles and antiaircraft weapons.”

Steve Zissou, the U.S. attorney who represented Bout, said that “if the Russian government authorized him to facilitate the transfer of arms to one of America’s adversaries, it would be no different than the U.S. government sending arms and weapons of mass destruction to one of Russia’s adversaries as it has sent to Ukraine.”

After the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991, Bout bought Russian military cargo planes and transported U.N. peacekeepers in Africa. But in 2005, the U.S. sanctioned him for trading weapons for diamonds with former Liberian president Charles Taylor.

The U.N. accused Bout of “violating international arms embargoes on Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the Journal reported.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents posing as Colombian leftist rebels arrested Bout in Thailand in 2008. He was sentenced in 2011 for conspiring to kill Americans and trying to sell arms to Colombian rebels.

When Bout was released in the prisoner swap, the White House said it was the only way to get Griner out of a Russian penal colony.

At the time of his release, National Security advisor Jake Sullivan said the U.S. government concluded that the risks associated with Bout’s release were acceptable.

“We believe we can manage those challenges, but we will remain constantly vigilant against any threat that Viktor Bout may pose to Americans, to the United States going forward,” Sullivan said.

“I would just point out that there is no shortage of arms traffickers and mercenaries in Russia,” he said.