What did Viktor Bout do? Explaining why Russia wants the Russian arms dealer in Brittney Griner swap deal

Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer currently imprisoned in the US, is likely to be released from the country in exchange for WNBA star Brittney Griner and ex-marine officer Paul Whelan, two US citizens currently detained in Russia.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the Biden administration has decided to propose a prisoner swap deal and is waiting to discuss the arrangement with the Russian counterpart.

Viktor Bout is currently detained at an Illinois prison and is serving a 25-year sentence. He was convicted of selling weapons worth millions of dollars to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2011 as well as for an alleged conspiracy to kill citizens and officials in the US.

Russia has long requested the US to release Bout, claiming that he was “unlawfully” arrested in the country and targeted for political reasons. His release would now allow the US to bring home Griner and Whelan.

While Griner was arrested at the Sheremetyevo International Airport in February on drug-related charges, Whelan was convicted on espionage charges in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison.

Brittney Griner recently admitted that she carried vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage, a drug that is considered illegal in Russia. However, she mentioned that the action was accidental and she had no intention of breaking the law.

Meanwhile, Paul Whelan’s family has continued to speak out for his innocence and the US government has previously deemed the charges against the ex-marine as false and unfair.

The prison swap deal involving Viktor Bout comes after the Biden administration faced significant pressure from the country to bring back Griner and Whelan.

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Everything to know about Viktor Bout and his 2008 arrest

Viktor Bout was arrested in Thailand in 2008 after a sting operation by US officials (Image via U.S. Department of Justice/Getty Images)

Viktor Bout, aka the “The Merchant of Death” is an international arms dealer and a former Soviet military officer. He is considered to be the inspiration behind the 2005 Nicholas Cage film Lord of War, which reportedly documented Bout’s international reach and extensive client list.

In 2008, Bout was arrested in Thailand after being caught in a sting operation organized by US drug enforcement agents at a Bangkok hotel. During the stint, the officials posed as members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and made a fake million-dollar arms deal with Bout.

Following the operation, the arms dealer was held in prison in Thailand for two years before being extradited to the US in 2010. His extradition was ordered by Eric John, the-then U.S. Ambassador to Thailand and mandated by the Thai High Court.

Viktor Bout went on to face trial in Manhattan for his role in supplying arms to FARC but denied the accusations. During the trial, Russia reportedly dubbed the arms dealer as an individual involved in “air transportation business.”

He was eventually sentenced to 25 years in US prison on alleged charges of being an aide and providing weapons to a terrorist organization, acquiring and exporting anti-aircraft missiles, and conspiring to kill US citizens and officials. In February 2010, additional charges of illegal purchase of aircraft, wire fraud, and money laundering were also filed against him.

Following Bout’s sentencing, the-then US attorney in Manhattan, Preet Bharara, said that the former was finally held accountable for his actions in US court:

“Viktor Bout has been international arms trafficking enemy number one for many years, arming some of the most violent conflicts around the globe. He was finally brought to justice in an American court for agreeing to provide a staggering number of military-grade weapons to an avowed terrorist organization committed to killing Americans.”

Although Bout continued to maintain his innocence, reports revealed that he had been associated with arms dealing since the 1990s. According to Newsweek, he was previously accused of providing military-grade weapons to conflict zones from Liberia to Sierra Leone and Afghanistan.

In 2004, the allegations of arms trafficking against Bout prompted US authorities to freeze his American assets and block his transactions in the US. However, the businessman continued to claim that he was only involved in legitimate businesses and worked as a logistics provider.

Douglas Farah, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, told CNN in 2010 that Bout’s early days have continued to be shrouded in “mystery.” She also told Mother Jones magazine in 2007 that he had multiple passports and was possibly born in 1967 in Dushanbe, now the capital of Tajikistan.

Farah mentioned that Bout was born to a bookkeeper and an auto mechanic and graduated from the Military Institute on Foreign Languages. He is reportedly a polyglot and proficient in six languages and served as a Soviet lieutenant.

As per CNN, Viktor Bout previously said that he served as a military officer in Mozambique, while other sources claimed he was stationed in Angola. His activities first came to light during an investigation by the United Nations in the 1990s.