Who is Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer allegedly offered in exchange for Brittney Grier and Paul Whelan?

In the midst of the trial in Russia against Brittney Griner for drug possession, the United States government has acknowledged that they are working with the Vladimir Putin administration for the basketball player’s release. On Wednesday, Antony Blinken, President Joe Biden’s Secretary of State, reported that the United States made a formal proposal for the release of Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.

What has the US offered Russia for Griner release?

“There was a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release. Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal. And I’ll use the conversation to follow up personally and I hope move us toward a resolution,” Blinken said, although declined to confirm the specifics of the return offer.

We did hear, however, from a source familiar with the situation who confirmed to CNN that Washington was willing to exchange Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25 year-prison sentence in the United States, as part of a deal. Moscow had wanted Bout to be part of a swap for Whelan, the former marine’s Russian lawyer previous stated.

The US Secretary of State declined to give any further information on how Russia had reacted to the proposal, which he said had President Joe Biden’s sign-off.

Who is Viktor Bout, the Russian used in Griner exchange?

The decade long chase to arrest him came to an end in 2008 in a Thailand hotel, when the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency captured Viktor Bout with an undercover operation that had him agree to supply anti-aircraft missiles to undercover DEA operatives. He was generally accepted to be the world’s best-known illegal arms trafficker and has spent the last 14 years in jail, having been extradited to the U.S. on narco-terrorism charges. In 2011 Bout was convicted of conspiring to kill Americans, supplying anti-aircraft missiles and aiding a terrorist organization, with his sentence being laid down as 25 years in prison.

Now 55-years old, Bout sourced weapons from the Soviet Union’s stockpiles as was a major player in the global illegal arms trade of the 1990s, able to circumvent international embargoes with Soviet aircraft. That fleet was one of the factors that set him apart from other arms traffickers. Africa was a continent particularly hard hit due to the conflicts that arose.

Bout was a key man for Putin, with the president having spent many years attempting to get him released.

Upon hearing about a possible exchange from media reports, RIA news agency got the reaction from his wife, Anna.

“We talked on the phone yesterday. Viktor doesn’t know anything about talks between Russia and the United States about his exchange ... neither he or I have any information,” it cited her as saying.

The alleged negotiations come within hours of Griner testifying before a Russian jury that, at the time of his arrest, she was not given a full translation with the reasons for her arrest, she was also not read her rights and was not offered a lawyer.

Previously, the 31-year-old athlete had indicated that she uses cannabis, a substance for which she was arrested, as a medical treatment. She added that she had no intention of breaking Russian law and was unaware that she entered the European country in possession of marijuana. A 10-year prison sentence remains on the cards but this deal could change all that.