Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death,” walked out of a U.S. prison almost two years ago in a trade with Moscow for U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner. Now he is back in business, trying to broker the sale of small arms to Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants.
The deal likely has at least tacit blessing from Russian authorities, and they could be using Bout to hide their hand in the transaction.
According to The Journal, Bout met with Houthi emissaries in Moscow in August to negotiate the sale of $10 million worth of small arms. Shipments reportedly could begin as early as this month, disguised as food supplies, with the first two deliveries said to consist mostly of AK-74 assault rifles. The Houthis reportedly expressed interest in other Russian armaments as well, including Kornet anti-tank guided missiles and unspecified anti-aircraft weapons.
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Bout was once the world’s foremost arms dealer until his arrest in Thailand in 2008 and subsequent extradition to the United States. Nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” he fueled conflicts in countries ranging from Afghanistan to Rwanda. “Bout has the capacity to transport tanks, helicopters and weapons by the tons to virtually any point in the world,” the U.S. Treasury Department said at the time.
Bout is believed to be a former officer in Moscow’s military intelligence directorate, or GRU. After launching his new career in the 1990s, he reportedly enjoyed support from Russian intelligence, which may have also used him to smuggle arms to Russian clients. Authorities ultimately apprehended Bout following a U.S. sting operation in which he agreed to sell weapons to operatives posing as FARC terrorists — with the explicit understanding that his wares would be used to attack Americans in Colombia.
Bout’s arrest and 25-year prison sentence infuriated Moscow, and the Russians worked to get him back. After the Trump administration refused to trade Bout for Paul Whelan, a former Marine whom Moscow wrongfully imprisoned, the Russians nabbed another former Marine, Trevor Reed. Moscow eventually traded Reed for U.S.-convicted Russian drug smuggler Konstantin Yaroshenko in April 2022.
The following December, the Biden administration — over the Justice Department’s objections — traded Bout for WNBA star Brittney Griner, arrested in Russia earlier that year on drug charges. But Moscow refused to release Whelan alongside Griner. He was later exchanged as part of a large, multi-country prisoner swap in August 2024 in which Moscow secured the release of various Russian spies and criminals, including an assassin convicted in Germany.
Back in Russia, Bout received a warm welcome. He has dabbled in politics and showcased artwork at galleries in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In mid-2023, he launched several business ventures allegedly engaged in trading gas, fuel, and industrial equipment. Bout also participated in a panel on logistics at the 2023 Russia-Africa Summit, where he said he planned to reconnect with former African business partners. That same year, he was seen rubbing shoulders with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the now-deceased head of the Wagner paramilitary group, which has an extensive military and business presence across Africa.
Bout’s alleged deal with the Houthis comes as Russia has deepened relations with the group’s Iranian patrons and is looking for ways to hit back at the West. Although Moscow’s role in the sale is unclear, Russian intelligence is doubtlessly aware of it. And Moscow could be using Bout to provide plausible deniability.
Meanwhile, the Russians are reportedly mulling an agreement to send Yakhont anti-ship missiles to the Houthis, expanding their ability to threaten commercial shipping and Western military vessels. The Kremlin likely hopes this possibility will deter Western powers from allowing Ukraine to strike inside Russia using Western-supplied missiles.
Bout’s alleged foray back into his old business should give pause to future U.S. administrations weighing prisoner swaps with Moscow. In the meantime, the United States and its allies should us the military, sanctions, and law enforcement tools at their disposal to disrupt Bout’s shipments to the Houthis and other potential illicit activity.
FDD
