Viktor Bout, Russian President Vladimir Putin's "Merchant of Death" who sold arms to terrorists around the world, was arrested in Thailand in 2009 in a sting operation devised by the U.S. government.
Convicted in 2011 of conspiring to kill Americans and provide material support to terrorists, Bout served about 12 years of a 25-year sentence — until Joe Biden traded him for WNBA star Brittney Griner. Griner had been caught carrying vape cartridges of cannabis and was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony in 2022.
Bout has fared very well since Joe Biden released him. He ran successfully for a seat on the local assembly and has become something of a celebrity on Russian TV, commenting on current events and the arms trade.
But if the U.S. thought that Bout had reformed in any way, it might have come as a shock when representatives for the Houthi rebels showed up in Moscow, looking to buy $10 million worth of automatic weapons, and were greeted by none other than Viktor Bout, unreformed, unrepentant arms dealer.
When Bout was released in the December 2022 prisoner swap, White House officials described it as a difficult decision but the only way to get Griner out of a Russian penal colony. They emphasized that Bout had already served 12 years in U.S. prisons.
National-security adviser Jake Sullivan said at the time that the U.S. government had done an assessment of the risks of Bout’s release before the exchange and had concluded they were acceptable.
“We believe we can manage those challenges, but we will remain constantly vigilant against any threat that Viktor Bout may pose to Americans, to the United States going forward,” Sullivan said. “I would just point out that there is no shortage of arms traffickers and mercenaries in Russia.”
Right. What's one more arms dealer selling weapons that kill civilians (possibly even Americans) when there are already so many in Russia?
What a moral pygmy.
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The deliveries for the Houthis will be made up of AK-74s, an upgraded version of the AK-47, so this particular sale won't contain weapons systems like anti-ship missiles or anti-aircraft systems that could be used against American military assets. But as the war in the Middle East heats up and lines begin to be drawn, Russia may very well decide to give the Houthis the means to defend against U.S. air strikes and sea-launched missiles.
And we already know who the point man in any arms sales will be.
The Biden administration has been worried that Russia might provide the Houthis with such advanced weapons to retaliate for Washington’s support of Ukraine, but there is no evidence that those missiles have been sent, or that Bout is involved in such a deal.
Still, even small arms shipments to the Houthis would be opposed by Washington, which has designated the Yemen militants as a terrorist group.
Arming a belligerent in the Middle East conflict would also mark an escalation for Russia, which has been strengthening security ties with Tehran but has generally stayed away from the confrontation between Israel and its Iran-backed foes.
No American deserves to be locked up in a Russian penal colony. But Biden didn't have to trade someone like Viktor Bout for Griner's release. The U.S. folded and gave the Kremlin Bout far too quickly when there might have been other options.
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