Viktor Bout

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One of only two pictures of Viktor Bout known to exist

Viktor Anatolyevich Bout (born January 13, 1967 in Dushanbe, USSR. now Tajikistan, according to his official passport. However, Bout stated in a 2002 radio interview that he was born near what is now Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, and a 2001 South African intelligence file listed him as Ukrainian in origin) is a Russian arms dealer. He is nicknamed "the Merchant of Death."

Recent reports suggest he is also operating in Iraq using front companies and Cargo Airlifts (Airline Transport, Air West, Aerocom and TransAvia Export). Bout came to officials' attention in the 1990s, when he was accused of supplying arms to rebels in West Africa after a cease-fire agreement had been brokered. At that time he owned or was using many airlines, including Air Cess and Centrafrican, which were later forced to shut down by the authorities. He was also the official arms supplier to the deposed regime of Charles Taylor in Liberia.

In May 2006, when 200,000 AK-47 assault rifles went missing in transit from Bosnia to Iraq, one of Bout's airlines was the carrier.^[1]

Nicolas Cage's character in the 2005 film Lord of War is said to be partially based on Viktor Bout.

1 History
2 Fugitive status
3 In the media
4 Arms dealings
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Viktor Bout is a former Soviet military officer who has turned his military knowledge into a lucrative illegal arms trade. Often referred to as the Embargo Buster, Bout made a lot of money selling illegal arms to countries that the UN has placed arms embargoes on. He first appeared on the radar when he sold weapons to African nations in civil wars under such embargoes. One of his highest profile clients was Liberian dictator Charles Taylor.

Little is known about Bout before his military career, other than he was born to two Russian parents in 1967. After military training, he worked at a Russian military base in Vitebsk as a navigator. His duties expanded, eventually including the training of commando troops of the Russian Air Force.^[2] He graduated from Moscow's Military Institute in 1991 for foreign languages and is said to be fluent in 6 languages, including Russian, Uzbek, English, French and Portuguese. After this he became a translator for the Soviet Army in Angola. In the same year the military base he was serving at was dissolved due to the collapse of the Soviet Union and Bout and his colleagues found themselves highly trained, but without jobs. He then started the Transavia Export Cargo company, which aided Belgian soldiers in Somalia in 1993. Russian sources have claimed that, in return for a cut of the profits, Bout was staked three Antonovs by the GRU of which he may well have been a member, given his association with the GRU school of foreign languages. Another of his early clients was the Islamic State of Afghanistan (later it was known by the name the Northern Alliance). Between 1992 and 1995, Bout made an alleged $50 million from supplying several Afghan groups.^[3] This helped him grow his empire.

In 1995 Bout established the Trans Aviation Network Group in the Belgian city of Oostende. The company delivered weapons to the Islamic State of Afghanistan, but this relationship came to an end when the Taliban drove that government out of Kabul and reduced its control to just a few northern provinces. In May 1995 one of his shipments for the Afghan government was intercepted by the Taliban. In August 1995 the crew of this shipment escaped (or was released) from Afghanistan and soon after that Bout had a new customer: the Taliban.^[4]

During this period Bout lived in Belgium, even purchasing a mansion and several luxury cars, as well as an apartment in Moscow. But in 1997 newspaper reports revealed his shady business, prompting Belgian authorities to investigate.^[5] Bout moved to the United Arab Emirates; here he founded his United Arab Emirates company, which would become his main base of operations. In 1995 he found another company that would become synonymous with his dealings. Air Cess was based in Equatorial Guinea and registered in Liberia and was Bout's main way of supplying arms to African conflicts. Bout seems to have sold to any group that could pay him for his weapons. US and UN officials say that Bout smuggled thousands upon thousands of assault rifles, grenade launchers, bullets and other weapons to African conflicts in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Congo-Brazzaville, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland and Uganda.^[6]

Most weapons smuggled into Africa came via Bulgaria, which Bout visited frequently between 1995 and 2000. From July 1997 to September 1998 Bout reportedly smuggled an estimated $14 million of weapons into Africa. In 2000 Bout also delivered helicopters, anti-aircraft guns and armored vehicles to Liberia. Bout also established Air Cess in Miami, Florida, in 1997. The company operated until September 2001, when it was dissolved. ^[7]

His nicknames, namely the 'Embargo Buster' and 'Merchant of Death', were coined by former British Foreign Office minister, Peter Hain. Upon reading the 2003 UN report on Bout's activities, Hain said: "Bout is the leading merchant of death who is the principal conduit for planes and supply routes that take arms, including heavy military equipment, from east Europe, principally Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine, to Liberia and Angola. The UN has exposed Bout as the centre of a spider's web of shady arms dealers, diamond brokers, and other operatives, sustaining the wars. Without someone like him we would be much, much, closer to ending the conflicts." ^[8]

[edit] Fugitive status

Viktor Bout is still at large and dealing arms. Bout only became a high priority for international authorities when his African arms dealings became very prominent. His criminal profile in the public eye reached a high-water mark with the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Bout supplied weapons to the Taliban, which has close ties to al-Qaeda, which, presumably, orchestrated the attacks. This placed Bout on a top-priority list for U.S. officials.

Years of dealing in arms, however, has allowed Bout to build a large network of business and political contacts. The Arab Emirates eventually caved in to co-operate on capturing Bout, but protected him at first. Bout's business dealings were careful and complicated, making it hard for authorities to assess, for instance, which airplanes are his and which are operating illegally. Constantly moving the locations of himself and his companies, not to mention frequent re-registering—often illegally—his aircraft has made it hard for US and Interpol authorities to build a case against him. When he was finally charged prior to 9/11, Bout was protected by high-ranking U.A.E. royalty and officials such as Sultan Hamad Said Nassir al Suwaidi, adviser to the ruler of Sharjah.^{[citation needed]}

In 2002 both Belgium and Interpol issued warrants for his arrest. When the heat was turned up, Bout fled to Russia, where he remains protected by corrupt officials and businessmen. The UN has banned Bout from international travel and frozen his foreign bank accounts.

Bout is said to have at least five passports and several aliases. He resides in Russia with his wife, Alla, and her father, "Zuiguin". According to a UN report, "information from the United States suggests that his wife’s father, "Zuiguin", at one point held a high position in the KGB, perhaps even as high as a Deputy Chairman."

It is unclear whether Bout is still involved in dealing arms to Africa, as he is thought to have extensive contact with many of the most powerful war lords on the continent.

[edit] In the media

Viktor Bout has always professed his innocence, saying he is just a businessman. He was interviewed by Peter Landesman for the Süddeutsche Zeitung (24 October 2003).^[9] He also appeared on Moscow radio station Ekho Moskvy, saying "I have never supplied anything to or had contacts with the Taliban or al-Qaida."^[7]

Prior to the interview by Landesman only one photo of Bout existed, secretly taken by a Belgian journalist on an airstrip in the Democratic Republic of Congo.