As reported by the publication, Russia provided data to Yemeni rebels who attacked Western ships in the Red Sea, helping the Iran-backed group to assault a major artery of global trade, in order to further destabilize the region. Sources from the Wall Street Journal stated that this information allowed the Houthis to "expand the scale of their strikes."
Data from Russian satellites was transmitted through members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who were embedded with the Houthis in Yemen.
The Houthis began their attacks in the Red Sea at the end of last year in protest against Israel's ground invasion of Gaza and continued them during the first months of this year. In total, since November 2023, militants have attacked more than 100 ships, sinking two of them, and seized one.
The attacks led to serious disruptions in global trade. According to the maritime intelligence company Windward, in August 2024, tanker traffic on this route decreased by 77% compared to October 2023.
By April, the US had spent about 1 billion dollars on munitions to destroy Houthi drones and missiles and protect shipping in the Red Sea, writes WSJ. Washington believes that Russia could further escalate the situation by providing the Houthis with Russian anti-ship or anti-aircraft missiles, which could threaten US military efforts to protect ships in the region, but there is currently no evidence of Russian weapons supplies to the Houthis.
Russia supported the Houthis, whom the US considers a terrorist group, when they carried out a series of attacks on one of the world's busiest shipping routes, the publication notes. The Kremlin seeks to stir instability from the Middle East to Asia to create problems for the US, analysts believe.
"For Russia, any flare-up anywhere is good news because it distracts the world's attention from Ukraine, and the US needs to allocate resources—Patriot systems or artillery shells, and since the Middle East is in play, it's clear what the US will choose," says Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Eurasia Center.
Photo: Wall Street Journal