'Merchant Of Death' Prisoner Freed By US In Exchange For Brittney Griner Vows To Help Vladimir Putin In War Against Ukraine
Dec. 12 2022, Published 12:00 p.m. ET
The Russian freed by the United States last week in exchange for WNBA star Brittney Griner has vowed to help Vladimir Putin in the Russian leader’s ongoing war against Ukraine, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Viktor Bout, who was freed on Thursday in exchange for Griner, is an infamous arms dealer dubbed the “Merchant of Death.”
Immediately after being freed and upon his return to Russia, Bout expressed his support for Putin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine and questioned why Russian forces weren’t ordered to invade the neighboring nation sooner.
"If I had the opportunity and the necessary skills, I would, of course, volunteer,” Bout said following his release last week, according to Daily Star.
"A Russian man like me, I never understood why we didn't do this earlier,” he continued. "Of course, I do understand that not everyone was ready. I fully support the special military operation.”
In the Russian arms dealer’s first televised interview since being imprisoned in the United States 11 years ago, Bout also claimed he was the first to go through the “experiment” of being imprisoned in the United States and was only arrested to be made “an example” of for other Russians.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Bout was released from United States custody on December 8 in a high-profile prisoner swap between Washington, D.C. and Moscow in exchange for Griner.
Griner was arrested in February after arriving in Moscow. She was allegedly found with vape cartridges containing marijuana oil in her luggage, and was ultimately found guilty of the drug trafficking charges in August.
The 32-year-old WNBA star and two-time Olympian was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony before President Joe Biden successfully negotiated for her safe return.
Bout was arrested by U.S. authorities in 2008 and was convicted for conspiring to kill American citizens, conspiring to provide support to a foreign terrorist organization and conspiring to acquire and export illegal weapons in 2011.
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The 55-year-old arms dealer, whose life provided the basis for the film Lord of War, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his crimes.
Bout had roughly 11 years left on his sentence upon his release last week, and despite claiming he wants to have a family and live like a “normal person,” Bout is now reportedly set to assist Putin in the Russian leader’s struggling offensive against Ukraine.
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