Russian Arms Dealer And Putin Ally Viktor Bout, Exchanged For Brittney Griner, Resumes Gun Trafficking

Viktor Bout, a well-known Russian arms dealer who was previously imprisoned in the U.S. and exchanged for WNBA star Brittney Griner in December 2022, seems to be back in the arms trafficking business, or he may have never really left.

An exclusive report by the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, citing an unnamed European security source and other anonymous informants, revealed that Bout is allegedly trying to facilitate the sale of small arms to Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants. With his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, there are concerns about his renewed role in global arms trafficking. A former KGB officer, Bout is notorious as “the Merchant of Death.”

The reported deal does not include larger Russian weapons like anti-ship or anti-air missiles that could pose a threat to U.S. military operations in the region. However, the arms transfer is not yet finalized, and there is no independent verification of the claims at this time.

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Bout’s Lawyer Says No, But…

“Viktor Bout has not been involved in the transportation business for over twenty years,” stated Steve Zissou, the New York attorney who represented Bout in the U.S. However, he also mentioned that if the Russian government authorized him to facilitate arms transfers to a U.S. adversary, it would be similar to the U.S. government sending arms to one of Russia’s adversaries like Ukraine.

According to the WSJ, Zissou declined to comment on whether Bout had met with the Houthis, and a Houthi spokesman also refused to provide any statements.

Most Wanted Arms Trafficker

Following his return to Russia after the prisoner swap involving Griner, Bout has been keeping a low profile while aligning himself with the Kremlin-backed ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party.

Prior to his arrest in 2008, Bout was one of the most notorious arms traffickers globally, supplying weapons to rogue nations and rebel groups across Africa, Asia, and South America for almost two decades.

His notoriety was so significant that his life inspired the 2005 Hollywood film “Lord of War,” where Nicolas Cage played Yuri Orlov, an arms dealer character loosely based on Bout.

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Photo of Bout and Griner by Wikimedia Commons