Yemen Monitor/Newsroom
A report published by the British website “Middle East Eye” on Saturday revealed that Russian military intelligence officers have been deployed to Yemen to assist the Iranian-backed Houthis in targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea.
Citing a senior US official, the report stated that members of Russia’s military intelligence agency are operating in Houthi-controlled territories in Yemen in an advisory capacity. This information was corroborated by US intelligence.
While the exact nature of the Russians’ role remains unclear, the US official indicated that Russian military intelligence officers have been working in Yemen for “several months” to support the Houthis in targeting commercial shipping, a move that the Houthis claim is in solidarity with Palestinians besieged in Gaza.
This sensitive deployment comes as Russia seeks ways to intensify its support for the Iranian-backed Houthis.
“Middle East Eye” reported in June that President Vladimir Putin had considered supplying the Houthis with advanced anti-ship cruise missiles but backed down after direct intervention from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The Wall Street Journal confirmed the report in July but added that the US remains concerned about the possibility of Putin arming the Houthis, perhaps as a way to deter the US from allowing Ukraine to launch a deeper attack into Russian territory.
Samuel Ramani, an expert on Russian foreign policy in the Middle East and Africa at the Royal United Services Institute, told Middle East Eye, “If Russia is going to supply the Houthis with arms, then putting technical advisers on the ground would be the first step to doing so.”
“But it could also just be a sign of deepening cooperation. And given the Saudis’ concerns, this would be a kind of compromise given Putin’s reluctance to arm the Houthis.”
The US intelligence shared with Middle East Eye did not reveal where the Russian advisers are operating.
The White House and the Department of Defense did not respond to Middle East Eye’s request for comment on the story by the time of publication.
