Infamous Russian Arms Merchant May Be Back in Business

An infamous Russian arms dealer freed in exchange for American Brittney Griner is back to his old tricks less than two years later, reports the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper's exclusive scoop says Viktor Bout—aka, the "merchant of death"—has been personally brokering the sale of weapons to Iranian-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen. The story notes these are small arms—automatic weapons, not, say, missiles that could wreak havoc on US vessels trying to protect shipping in the region. But even so, the US considers the militants to be a terrorist organization and would oppose any such sales.

Bout appeared to embark on a career in politics instead of arms dealing upon his return to Russia in late 2022, and this is the first report of him going back to his old profession. Both he and the Kremlin say the Journal report is false. But the newspaper says that Bout met in person with Houthi representatives who traveled to Moscow under false pretenses in August. The arms in question have yet to be delivered. Before his arrest in Thailand in 2008, Bout had been one of the most wanted men in the world, notes Reuters. He was later extradited to the US, where he was serving a 25-year sentence before his release. (Read the full Journal story.)