After a prisoner exchange for the American basketball player Brittney Griner (32), the Russian arms dealer Viktor But (55) has arrived in his home country. But landed at Moscow Vnukovo Airport late Thursday night. There he was received by a camera crew from the state broadcaster Rossija.
“I’ve arrived. That’s the main thing. They woke me up in the middle of the night and said, ‘Get ready.’ There was no specific advance notice,” But said of his release.
The “dealer of death” told the Russian news agency Ria Novosti that what he wants most of all is getting enough sleep. He had undergone a medical check-up on the plane and looked tired and serious. But had been in prison in the United States for more than ten years and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his arms trafficking.
Viktor Maar landed in Moscow
All the greater was the joy at the airport. His wife Alla (52) and his mother Raisa were waiting for the arms dealer there. The reception committee was completed by former caretaker and current Duma deputy Maria Butina (34). TV footage showed the 55-year-old embracing his mother with flowers and his wife snuggling up against him with tears of joy in her eyes.
In exchange for the 55-year-old’s release from Washington, Moscow allowed American basketball player Griner to leave the country after months in captivity. The prisoner exchange took place at Abu Dhabi airport, from where Griner also departed for home.
‘She’s safe. She’s on the plane. She’s on her way home,” US President Joe Biden, 80, said on Twitter. The sports star and the president had previously spoken by phone.
According to Biden, the release was preceded by “careful, intensive negotiations”. Video footage shows Griner and But on the runway. They pass each other for a moment. The “Dealer of Death” casually greets the Russian agents who pick him up. He walks out of the plane with a smile on his face.
Putin personally campaigned for Viktor But’s release
The American basketball player, who also plays in Russia, was arrested in February upon arrival at a Moscow airport. E-cigarette cartridges containing small amounts of cannabis oil were found in their luggage. The 32-year-old said she took the cannabis to ease the pain of sports injuries. However, medical use of the drug is also illegal in Russia. In August, the athlete was sentenced to nine years in prison for drug smuggling.
“It is wrong to believe that the exchange of Bout and Griner is a step towards a way out of the crisis between Russia and the US. Relations remain in a sad state,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Ria Novosti . Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova (67) emphasized that President Vladimir Putin (70) personally campaigned for But’s release.
In Russia, nationalist circles applauded the homecoming. “The Buts exchange is more than beneficial: in 2019, the Russian authorities offered to hand over 15 Americans for his return, the process now proceeded according to the formula 1 to 1,” wrote the military blog Rybar, who is close to the Russian Department of Defense, Thursday. Moreover, Moscow did not have to release a valuable spy or mercenary, only “an ordinary basketball player.” State television showed But’s mother, Raisa, enthusiastically thanking the Russian president and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Republicans criticize Biden for prisoner swap
The deal, on the other hand, caused less enthusiasm among former US President Donald Trump (76). The barter was a “disgrace to the United States” and an “unpatriotic disgrace”. The Republican accused Griner of “hatred” toward the United States. Kevin McCarthy, 57, who is running for president of the House of Representatives, criticized But’s release as a “gift” to the Russian president. Avid Trump supporter and member of the House of Representatives, Marjorie Taylor Greene, 48, wrote that the exchange is grounds for impeaching US President Joe Biden.
“Why was former Marine Paul Whelan not involved in this totally one-sided transaction?” Trump asked in a post to the network on Thursday that he co-founded Truth Social. Whelan (52) was arrested in Russia in 2018 and convicted of alleged espionage.
Bout’s lawyer, Alexey Tarasov, said on Russian television that the United States had demanded the repatriation of two of its citizens from the start. Paul Whelan told CNN he was “very disappointed” that more had not been done for his release because he had not committed a crime: “I don’t understand why I’m still sitting here,” he said. The US government promised to continue negotiations for Whelan’s release. (afp/sda/nad)