My case was an American “experiment” – Viktor Bout – RT Russia and the former Soviet Union
The Russian businessman says the sanctions have been used as a weapon against him and his home country
Recently freed Russian businessman Viktor Bout told RT on Saturday that his case was a “experience” in the legal persecution of Russia, with the United States deploying sanctions against him and his home country.
“What happened to me happened to my country” he said in his first television interview after returning to Russia in a prisoner swap for American basketball star Brittney Griner.
“They first tried this experiment with me,” he stated. “I’ve been under sanctions since 2000. I haven’t been able to make bank transfers…so I’ve seen it all.”
“There’s nothing new about it,” he continued, referring to the unprecedented economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and its allies following Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine. “They started this undeclared war against me and my family,” he said, adding that the war “overwhelmed to encompass everyone.”
Bout served 12 years in several US prisons for arms trafficking. While he accepted a plea deal in exchange for 25 years behind bars, he denies the charges.
Back in his native Russia, Bout told RT that he “fully supports the special military operation” in Ukraine, which, according to him, Moscow should have launched in 2014. However, he conceded that “Not everyone was ready” for such an operation at the time.
“If I could, I would share the skills I have and I would gladly volunteer,” he stated.
However, Bout said that contrary to some US media reports, he does not see himself as particularly valuable to Russia or to President Vladimir Putin. Instead, he implied that he was simply caught up in a larger geopolitical game, and that there is “probably thousands and thousands and thousands” cases like his in Russian history.
You can share this story on social media:
RT
