Russia's thwarted arms deal with Houthi rebels stirs global tensions

The Russians are trying in every possible way to cause problems for Western countries, whether through actions in Africa directed against France or on the Arabian Peninsula. Here’s why and how the Russians want to support the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

According to CNN, Russia was prepared in July to transfer missiles and other military equipment to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. However, at the last moment, pressure from the United States and Saudi Arabia caused Moscow to withdraw from this intention. Nonetheless, Russia directed military personnel to Yemen for training purposes.

Saudi Arabia warned Moscow against arming the Houthis when it learned of Russia’s plans, and the United States asked the Saudis to intervene to convince the Russians to change their decision on providing military support to the Houthi rebels.

U.S. intelligence is not entirely certain whether it was specifically Saudi Arabia’s actions that were decisive in Moscow abandoning plans to supply weapons to the Houthis or if it was one of several factors that prompted Vladimir Putin to change his stance, CNN sources highlight.

According to CNN sources, the Russians were treating plans to arm the Houthis as an act of retribution against the U.S. administration, which had approved attacking targets on Russian territory using American weapons.

Ultimately, Russia gave up its plans to supply weapons to the Houthis and sent military personnel to Yemen, who advised the rebels for three days in July. U.S. representatives noticed that large Russian ships stopped in the southern Red Sea. Russian personnel disembarked from these vessels and were picked up by Houthi boats, which then sailed to Yemen.

Houthi rebels controlling half of the country have launched a campaign in recent months to attack commercial ships and military vessels passing through the Red Sea, destabilizing global logistics. Many operators, unwilling to take risks, decided to bypass Africa, which increased delivery time and costs. In retaliation, U.S. and British forces, among others, carried out a series of bombings degrading the Houthi rebels’ capabilities.

The Russians could have significantly helped the Houthis by providing anti-ship weapons, which they still have in large quantities from Soviet times. Except for certain exceptions like the Kh-22 missiles with a range of 500 kilometres, they are useless in the war in Ukraine but could be useful to the Russians. Examples include the P-270 Moskit anti-ship missiles with a range of up to 250 kilometres.

From the 1980s, this model can fly at Mach 2-3 speed and carry a warhead weighing up to 300 kilograms. Guidance is provided by a tandem of inertial navigation and an active radar homing head that precisely targets the missile. The Russians had these missiles in land-launched and ship-launched versions.