At the center of a proposed swap for Brittney Griner is Viktor Bout, likely the highest profile Russian in U.S. custody. He has been called "one of the world's most prolific arms dealers," and Russian officials have been pressing for his release since 2011.[_link] pic.twitter.com/FPeEQdCXZZ

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 28, 2022

Viktor Bout: Pentagon contract for Bout Airlines Sharjah UAE to Baghdad

Related reading ...

• The Rise and Fall of Viktor Bout, the Merchant of Death | Spiegel - June 2010 |
• Blacklisted Russian Tied to Iraq Deals | LA Times - Dec. 14, 2004 |

Among the firms holding U.S. government contracts that officials said were using the network's services: FedEx and KBR. The latter, formerly known as Kellogg Brown & Root, is a subsidiary of Halliburton, the Houston conglomerate formerly headed by Vice President Dick Cheney and holder of a massive no-bid contract for reconstruction projects in Iraq.

'Sapere aude'

Kremlin to Viktor Bout: Game Not Over | VOA News - April 2012 |

Russian Arms dealer Victor Bout is processed after his arrest in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 8, 2008. Reflecting the value Washington put on Bout, then President George Bush raised the issue of Bout's extradition during a visit with then Prime Minister Samak Sundravei.

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A New York judge has imposed a 25-year sentence on Bout, the legal minimum, for conspiring to sell weapons to a US-designated terrorist group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Presumably, the Russians are realistic enough to realize that there will be no horse trading over a Bout repatriation to Russia until the American presidential election is decided. Last month, an open microphone caught President Obama telling President Medvedev about missile defense: "After my election, I have more flexibility."

US has taken FARC off its terrorist list, giving insight into Biden's foreign policy | Jan. 26, 2022 |

'Sapere aude'