A well-known Kremlin propagandist said during a recent television broadcast that Moscow should arm Yemeni Houthis rebels with Russian weapons for use in attacks on U.S. and British ships.
Vladimir Solovyov, a prominent figure in Kremlin-backed media and a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, made the suggestion during a recent episode of his show that airs on Russia-1.
His comments come as clashes continue in the Red Sea between Iran-aligned Houthi rebels and Western defensive forces. Despite the United States and its allies launching airstrikes against the rebel group, Houthi attacks against ships crossing the Red Sea have persisted, including an incident on Sunday in which the crew of the British-registered Rubymar vessel were forced to abandon ship after it was hit by missiles.
According to Solovyov, Moscow should provide Houthis with arms as retribution against Western countries who continue to aid Ukraine in its war against invading Russian forces.
Photos by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, shared a clip on X (formerly Twitter) of Solovyov’s remarks regarding Houthis on Wednesday.
The clip begins with Solovyov discussing media reports about a NATO ally planning to give Kyiv long-range missiles that are capable of reached Crimea.
“It takes two to tango,” Solovyov said before bringing up the Houthi strike on the Rubymar. “Well, British, you wanna giggle now? Do you want to continue, let’s say, helping Ukrainians?”
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence and the U.S. Department of State via email on Wednesday for comment.
Solovyov then brought up recent claims made by Russian officials that a British drone had been downed by Russian air-defense systems in the occupied Luhansk region of Ukraine.
He then returned to the topic of Houthis and advocated arming the rebel group for attacks on U.S. and British targets, saying “the times are such.”
“The Houthis will have everything. They will have semi-submersible unmanned boats, they’ll have powerful guns, they’ll have everything,” Solovyov said, according to Gerashchenko’s translation.
He added: “You want to play these games and then think that Russia should limit its arms supplies?”
The U.S. State Department has said Solovyov spreads disinformation from the Kremlin and wrote on its website in a 2022 list identifying well-known figures involved in Russian propaganda that Solovyov “may be the most energetic Kremlin propagandist around today.”
He is also known for making controversial statements, such as suggesting during a fall broadcast of his television show that Germany will eventually exist “under a Russian flag.” In October, Solovyov also made headlines when he warned of a new world war that would see the West pitted against Muslims all over the world.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.