The geopolitical confidence and expansion of the Iran proxy Houthi rebels military arsenal couldn’t have occurred without help from a crucial yet underestimated player: Russia, according to an analysis published by the Washington Center for Yemeni Studies.
Fatima Abo Alasrar is a Senio r Analyst with the Washington Center for Yemeni Studies found that Mohammad Abdulsalam, who is one of the seven individuals the US sanctioned recently designated has been quietly traveling to Moscow in his capacity as a spokesperson for the Houthi militia and under the guise of his position as a mediator for Yemen’s conflict, strengthening a relationship that benefits both the Houthis and the Kremlin.
She added that the targeting of Moscow-linked Houthi figures is the clearest indication yet that the group’s relationship with Russia is no longer just a matter of convenience but a calculated military alliance. These sanctions expose a supply chain of instability through a transnational weapons pipeline linking Tehran, Sanaa, and Moscow in a web of illicit arms transfers that goes beyond the Houthis’ ideological fanfare or mere opportunism.
For a movement that once claimed to be “independent,” , Abo Alasrar wrote : the Houthis have instead become a tool of foreign powers, shifting from an Iranian proxy to a Kremlin asset.
Russia, isolated by its war in Ukraine, recognized the Houthis’ potential as a pressure point against the West. Tehran and Moscow have long understood that armed non-state actors, when properly equipped, can shape global conflicts as effectively as standing armies. The FTO’s treasury designation’s focus on relations with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Russia makes it clear that the Houthis are not the architects of their own rise, but merely instruments in a much larger geopolitical contest.
Throughout Yemen’s conflict, global discourse in international media largely centered on Saudi Arabia’s military involvement in Yemen and the humanitarian crisis it created, stifling serious debate on long-term strategy and security.
The Houthi military trade with Russia involves both imports and exports, according to the Treasury. Washington’s intelligence confirms that Russia’s foreign military agency, the GRU, is now operating in Houthi-controlled Sana’a under the guise of humanitarian aid, providing technical assistance that enhances Houthi military operations.
Furthermore, there are reports linking renowned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to weapons smuggling operations benefiting the Houthis. This relationship has evolved from opportunistic exchanges to direct military collaboration, with the Kremlin reportedly assisting with data tracking systems that enhance the Houthis’ maritime targeting capabilities in the Red Sea.
While the Houthis have long exploited Yemen’s war economy, profiting from everything from fuel smuggling to extortion, recent intelligence reveals an even more insidious revenue stream. According to the US Treasury Department, Houthi operative and ‘major general’ Abdulwali Abdoh Hasan Al-Jabri ran a human smuggling network, recruiting Yemeni civilians to fight for Russia in Ukraine.
This revelation exposes a new dimension of the Houthi-Russia relationship, one that extends beyond weapons and into human capital.
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/houthi-terrorist-designation-russias-yemen-strategy/