Media ININ Economy We Trust
MOSCOW – Reuters
Russian media hailed President Vladimir Putin on Friday for what they described as a “victory” in a prisoner exchange with the United States that saw an American basketball player exchange for one of the world’s most active arms dealers, known as the Merchant of Death.
Viktor Bout arrived in Moscow late on Thursday, after Russia and the United States traded the arms dealer for American basketball player Brittney Grainer.
The US Department of Justice describes Bot as one of the most active and widespread arms dealers in the world. He sold weapons around the world to enemies of the United States for decades, and Bout has repeatedly denied the charges.
“It’s an American surrender,” Maria Butina, a Russian lawmaker, told state television on the tarmac at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport as the plane carrying Bout landed.
And she continued, saying: “This shows that Russia never gives up on what belongs to it, while America showed its defeat, which Russia has not forgotten.” His wife and mother were next to her, embracing him as soon as he set foot again on Russian soil.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, published clips titled “And so it has been 14 years,” referring to the time spent by Bot in detention.
The footage shows old clips of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Zakharova and other senior diplomats saying “Victor Bout”.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the private military group Wagner and a close ally of Putin, welcomed Bout back. “Congratulations to Victor Bout,” he said. I am very happy for him.”
Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the Russian government-funded RT channel, said the exchange shows that Russia will eventually “win” because Washington chose to leave a convicted American spy in prison in Russia, rather than include him in the exchange deal, referring to the former soldier. US Marine Paul Whelan.
