Viktor Bout is a notorious Russian arms dealer known as theDeath Merchant” Because he supplies weapons to various rebel groups, warlords and regimes around the world.
He was accused of inciting conflicts in Africa, Asia and Latin America, as well as conspiring to kill Americans and aid terrorist organizations.
He was arrested in Thailand in 2008 in a sting operation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and extradited to the United States in 2010, where he was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
He was released in 2022 and returned to Russia under a prisoner exchange agreement with the United States
contour
- Full name: Viktor Anatolyevich But
- Nickname: Merchant of Death
- Date of Birth: January 13, 1967
- Age: 56
- Gender: Male
- Birthplace: Dushanbe, Tajikistan
- Nationality: Russian
- Occupation: Arms dealer, businessman, former military officer
- Height: 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
- Parents: Anatoly Bout (father), Raisa Bout (mother)
- Siblings: Sergey But (brother)
- Spouse: Ala Butt (married in 1995)
- Children: 2
- Marital status: Married
- Net worth: $8 million
Early life and education
Viktor Bout, 56, was born on January 13, 1967 in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, which was then part of the Soviet Union.
He is the eldest son in the family. His father, Anatoly But, is a civil engineer, and his mother, Raisa But, is a teacher. He also has a younger brother named Sergei.
He grew up in a middle-class family and attended a Russian school. He was interested in aviation and mathematics from an early age and performed well in school.
He also learned several languages, including English, French, Portuguese, Arabic and Swahili.
In 1985, he joined the Soviet Army as a translator and air traffic controller. In 1991, he graduated from the Moscow Military Academy of Foreign Languages and became a lieutenant in the Soviet Air Force.
He was stationed in Angola, where he witnessed firsthand the civil war and the involvement of foreign mercenaries and arms dealers, and also served in Germany and Uganda before leaving the military in 1993.
Personal life
Victor Bout met his wife, Alla Bout, a former model and economics major, in Moscow in 1994. They married in 1995 and have two daughters, Elizabeth and Lisa.
They live in several countries including Belgium, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and Thailand, where they own multiple properties and businesses.
They also frequently traveled to Russia, where they had relatives and friends. Bout was a devoted husband and father who enjoyed spending time with his family. He also enjoyed playing chess, reading and listening to music.
Bout’s arms dealing activities and legal disputes have affected his personal life. He has been under surveillance and threats from various intelligence agencies and hostile organizations.
He also escaped assassination attempts several times. In 2008, he was arrested in Thailand and spent two years in a Thai prison before being extradited to the United States in 2010.
He was separated from his wife and daughter, who remained in Thailand and later moved to Moscow. He kept in touch with them through phone calls and letters. He was released in 2022 and reunited with his family in Russia.
Profession
Viktor Bout began his arms dealing career in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union, taking advantage of the chaos, surplus weapons and aircraft in former Soviet countries.
He built a network of companies and contacts that enabled him to acquire, transport and sell weapons to a variety of clients around the world.
He used different aliases and utilized forged documents and shell companies to evade detection and sanctions.
He also bribed and worked with corrupt officials and middlemen to facilitate deals. Bout’s clients included rebel groups, warlords and regimes embroiled in conflict or subject to international embargoes.
Some of his notable clients include the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Liberia, Sudan and Zimbabwe.
He also provided weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a Colombian Marxist rebel group that has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and other countries.
Bout’s arms dealing activities were exposed and investigated by several journalists, activists and authorities. Bout is featured in the book Merchants of Death: Money, Guns, Planes and the People Who Make War Possible, co-authored by Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun, and the documentary Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade, filmed by John Grimmonprez.
He was also the inspiration for the fictional character Yuriy Olov (played by Nicolas Cage) in the 2005 film Lord of War.
Bout was arrested in Thailand in 2008 by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), who posed as representatives of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and offered to buy weapons from him.
He was charged with conspiracy to kill Americans, conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist organization, conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles, and money laundering.
He denied the charges and claimed he was a legitimate businessman who was the victim of a political conspiracy.
He fought extradition to the United States for two years but was eventually handed over to U.S. authorities in 2010. He was tried in federal court in New York and convicted in 2011. In 2012, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
He appealed his conviction and sentence unsuccessfully and is being held at a maximum-security prison in Marion, Illinois, until his release in 2022. Bout’s release in 2022 was part of a prisoner swap between the United States and Russia that also involved the release of American basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained in Russia for possession of marijuana oil.
Bout flew to Moscow, where he was greeted by his family and supporters. Russian officials also welcomed him, praising him as a patriot and a hero.
He expressed gratitude to the Russian government and loyalty to President Vladimir Putin, and vowed to continue fighting the United States and its allies.
dispute
Victor Bout’s career and life have been marked by controversy and scandal.
He is accused of being one of the world’s most notorious and dangerous arms dealers, supplying weapons to some of the worst human rights violators and terrorists.
net worth
According to some sources, Victor Bout’s net worth is approximately $8 million. However, his wealth is difficult to determine because he uses various aliases and shell companies to hide his assets and transactions.
He also faces multiple lawsuits and sanctions that have frozen or seized his funds and assets. He owns several aircraft, vehicles and properties in different countries, but some of them have been confiscated or destroyed by the authorities.
Social Media
- Instagram account: N/A
- Twitter account: N/A
