The Russian arms dealer traded by the Biden administration for WNBA player Brittney Griner visited Ukraine to attend a political event.
The "Merchant of Death" Viktor Bout appeared in the Russian-occupied city of Luhansk Saturday for the opening of a new political office by the Russian government.
Not only is he free but is eyeing a leadership position in LDPR. Great job #bumblingbiden #Viktor Bout, ‘#MerchantofDeath’ Freed by #Biden, Visits #Ukraine https://t.co/r4612kHEBp
— AntoinetteMarie (@AMPMGNJ) December 21, 2022
"Bout is a strong supporter of the Ukrainian invasion who told Russian state media last week that he thought Vladimir Putin should have invaded long ago," Breitbart News reported.
"He said he would like to assist the invasion in any way possible and even claimed he would enlist for combat duty if he was younger, although at 55 he is younger than some of Putin's recent recruits," it added.
Bout recently returned to Russia despite serving a 25-year prison sentence in the U.S. for conspiracy to murder American citizens, among other charges.
He was traded for Griner who had been sentenced to nine years in a work camp for entering the country with cannabis vaping canisters.
Trump says he rejected Russia deal to swap Paul Whelan for Viktor Bout https://t.co/GrdZ4sDPjC pic.twitter.com/G9UZ6UoRZR
— New York Post (@nypost) December 12, 2022
Former President Donald Trump said after the trade that he had rejected a similar trade for Marine Paul Whelan who remains in Russian custody.
"I turned down a deal with Russia for a one-on-one swap of the so-called Merchant of Death for Paul Whelan," Trump said in a Truth Social post.
"I wouldn't have made the deal for a hundred people in exchange for someone that has killed untold numbers of people with his arms deals," he added.
The concerns over Bout will likely continue as he expects to participate even more in Russian President Vladimir Putin's government.
Source: Breitbart News
