Who Is Viktor Bout, The Russian Arms Dealer Swapped For Brittney Griner?

It required a protracted extradition procedure (from Thailand) to even get Viktor Bout into US custody more than ten years ago. But just who is Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer who was swapped for Brittney Griner.

The Biden administration presumably would have preferred for this particular incident to remain out of the public eye, but Russian state media has released video of it.

Brittney Griner, shown below wearing a red jacket, and Viktor Bout got to meet on the tarmac of an airport in the United Arab Emirates when both were en route to freedom, according to video provided by TASS on Thursday afternoon. Each was assigned to representatives from their respective nations, and the teams swiftly walked in opposite directions into a waiting aircraft.

Moscow seems to be celebrating a "victory" of sorts over its main rival and enemy, the United States, by releasing the video. ...

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