Peskov dismissed as fake rumors that Bout is trading weapons with the Houthis
The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources, reported that Russian Viktor Bout, convicted in the United States in a case of illegal arms trafficking and who returned to Moscow two years ago as a result of a prisoner exchange, participated in a deal with the Yemeni Houthis for the sale of AK-47 assault rifles . Bout himself called this information a hoax and stated that the material was deliberately published for the birthday of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The US said that Bout had agreed to sell machine guns for $10 million.
The publication’s interlocutor in one of the European security services said that negotiations took place in August 2024 in Moscow. According to sources, Bout met with the Yemeni Houthis, who wanted to negotiate the purchase of machine guns for $10 million.
WSJ reports that the deal was eventually concluded: the parties agreed that representatives of the Yemeni movement would receive AK-47 assault rifles in several stages. The first two will include the delivery of the AK-74 and an upgraded version of the AK-47. It is expected that the first batches could be delivered as early as October.
Booth accused the WSJ of having ties to the CIA
Viktor But, who now holds the position of deputy of the legislative assembly of the Ulyanovsk region, called the WSJ material a fake and accused the publication of political bias and connections with the CIA. According to him, the journalists deliberately called the article “Putin’s arms dealer” and published the material on the birthday of the Russian President.
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Booth believes that the Houthis, despite their lack of resources, “are doing their job quite skillfully.” He recalled that over the past year, representatives of the movement shot down over ten American reconnaissance drones. The Russian also suggested that in the United States, due to the “lack of significant media figures,” they use the “weapons baron” brand they promoted (in 2005, Booth became the prototype for the main character of the film “Baron of Arms” – approx. Lenti.ru).
The publication was also commented on in the Kremlin. According to the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, the material is likely to be classified as fake. “We saw this material. We are inclined to classify this as fake news or informational attacks on our people’s representatives,” he said.
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