Extended exclusive: Interview with Viktor Bout on Brittney Griner and the prisoner swap

on December 8th 2022 WNBA star Britney Griner was freed in a prisoner swap with convicted Russian arms dealer Victor boot boot was arrested in 2008 by undercover Agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration after they said he pledged to sell millions of dollars wor of weapons that would be used to shoot down American military aircraft boot was convicted in 2011 on four felony counts including conspiracy to kill Americans and sentenced to the mandatory minimum 25 years upon his return to Russia boot ran for office and now serves in a local Russian legislature in his first interview with us media since his release the Man known as The Merchant of death spoke about Griner and how he became part of the highest profile prisoner exchange since the Cold War 294 days after her arrest in Russia Britney Griner headed home freed in a high level prisoner exchange with the US releasing Russian arms dealer Victor boot nicknamed The Merchant of death The Merchant of death the so-called Merchant of death when did you become aware that the Russian government wanted to to trade to bring you back home well uh this was uh immediately after actually I was sentenced in the New York southern district in this court where the representative of Embassy came to see me uh regularly and they said that you know Russian government will try to do everything possible because they considered this uh judgment kind of illegal or uh because I was arrested for the conspiracy charges which is not existing not only in Russia but in many other countries when do you think you first heard the name Britney Griner I knew that Britney Griner was playing in a Russian team team winning a Russian championship and then of course I heard when she was arrested were you able to follow her trial of course because look in the United States I guess only lazy would not you know cover her trial every you know talking radio host every news station every TV channel on the news broadcast was this was a big deal I guess you know especially in jail what did you think about her case Russia had a lot of trouble with the drugs maybe 10 15 years ago and there is a lot of efforts to you know really limit the use of the drugs in Russia Britney Griner was a really a very well-respected player in Russian you know woman basketball and I don't believe that this was intentionally set up or something was prepared or it was you know kind of the trap for her she was sentenced to nine and a half years what what did you think of that sentence well look at the same time I was sentenced for the 25 years just for talking all right and she was sentenced for nine years just for taking a CBD oil you know into the Russia so if you put this time too you would say look the both think I really doesn't smell right she was convicted for trafficking 7 grams of cannabis oil you were convicted for conspiracy to kill Americans trying to sell arms to a terrorist organization and you saw that there was a great deal of outrage from some in this country what do you say to them well think of this that the same outrage was in Russia when I was sentenced to 25 years many people would say for what just for talking are you serious buot maintains his innocence and says he never intended to sell the weapons but when the undercover agents told him that the weapons would be used against us Pilots boot responded we have have the same enemy there is no even a proper translation to Russian of the ter of conspiracy we don't have such even the legal term so this is the same kind of outrage in Russia about my case and about many other cases how did you identify with her and what she might be going through at the time of course I feel you know bad or sorry for any person who going to be used as a poem despite whether they committed something or not publicity is a like multiplying factor which can really kills you if you are not strong enough to handle it you feel that that once she was arrested she she became a pawn I don't think we were even able to to know all the facts but definitely that the normal person has to pay a price because politician from the B side trying to play chairs on this big chair board which they call geopolitics and I feel really sorry when this wheel of Destiny or go through somebody else lives ruin it because I have my own experience when did you first hear that you might be involved in some sort of deal look uh the first thing I heard is exactly what CNN or other channels would you know push the story and then of course your channel ESPN was very big you know daily talking about you know Britney grinder and possible exchange with me when did you finally hear it's happening you're going home well when the guards came you know at 4:00 in the morning with the boxes you know knock my grill at my sale to said hey you know wake up and pack up you're leaving then I realized yes I'm going home and how did they transport you well they took me to the van they brought me to the local Airport and then uh we flew to the Washington DC and there after the certain waiting finally we bought this airplane and went with a one stop to the Abu where exchange happened what stands out in your mind when you think about that flight you see I was excited I was on my way home and having some conversation was kind of distract me from my own you know uh heart which was a bitting on a high you know rate and at the same time you know having a chance to talk to those people whove been arranging your exchange and seeing in their rise and feel their personality to see the human behind that all official you know uh shell of those government employees who do the job so when when the plane landed in Abu Dhabi what happened from the time it touched down until you were able to leave so they put the two planes together and then you know give a short instruction went out and here you are somebody showed up from russan side say me hi everything is fine I said yes so he identified me and then a couple minutes afterwards The Exchange literally happened do you remember when you first saw Britney Griner on the tarmac immediately I was a little shocked of seeing her without you know her signature you know braids she was way taller than me and you know I just shake the hands and I said you know I wish you good luck you know and B went to our you know planes why did you agree to sit down and talk about this well first of all I have really nothing to H second I do believe we have a common ground to have at least normal relation between our countries but I hope the one of these days we have a perfect and good economic and People to People relation again after my conversation with Victor boot I spoke with retired us federal judge Shir shinin who presided over his case she told me that boot's Merchant of death nickname gave him a profile he didn't deserve and that she never viewed him as an active threat to American lives for more from my conversation with boot judge shenlin and sources close to the negotiations check out our latest story on espn.com

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