2009 prison interview with the "Merchant of Death," Viktor Bout

In 2009 CNN spoke to the notorious arms dealer, Viktor Bout in his first and only prison interview.
Bout was arrested in 2008 during a sting operation in Thailand where agents posed as Colombian revolutionaries. Eventually, he was extradited to the U.S. where he was put on trial and found guilty of supplying weapons to the revolutionaries intended to kill U.S. citizens.
Bout is considered to be the main prisoner being offered to in exchange for the freedom of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.

[@Weoutg]

He’s so likable fr

[@maximilianl4453]

That’s the type of guy you want your daughter to marry

[@kaliyuga1476]

@@maximilianl4453 agree

[@user-lr3yo2bq1u]

@@maximilianl4453 Yeah

[@sunix8078]

@@maximilianl4453 imagine

[@Professional--Gamer]

he is charming like conman that's their greatest strength, I wish we all possessed that skill

[@palladone8963]

US traded this guy for a basketball player 😵‍💫

[@user-ex1tt8it5j]

Delete youre comment now, you are not allowed to speak like this.

[@smellycatcasserole]

baffling asf

[@quantrellbritt3528]

Mad or na

[@palladone8963]

@@quantrellbritt3528 No, I’m sad

[@Viceeoff]

@@infoforanything6496 what is a wnba player? A basketball player. DUH. Was no need for the correction you absolute autism. Wasn’t even a correction 💀💀 all wanna players are basketball players.

[@americanpurge]

Kept his mouth shut and now he's headed back to the mother land to flip some weapons for the big boys again!

[@unkindstyle_7]

Not yet still to be determined

[@jtob3817]

He's going back

[@user-bv1sr4rb1t]

@@jtob3817 as Russian i'm too glad about it

[@Antonio18677]

@@user-bv1sr4rb1t he got out of prison at right time with the Ukraine war going on and the war in Syria this guy is going to make a lot of money

[@billybob9269]

@@Antonio18677 o yea usa make him rich lol compensation for being locked up and inncoent 😂

[@icecitydooka]

He stayed solid

[@zurbereshisaqesh7601]

More like the Merchant of Based

[@blingadingading]

I can see the aggression and drive but trading Britney Griner for a 5’11 50-something year old is definitely a poor trade…

[@L3GHO5T]

He said it him self: no clue why they want him. Sounds like a fair trade to me. Woman Vape abuser for man locked up for no clue.

[@sunix8078]

They didnt want competition in weapons market

[@AOsman1]

This guy is a stereotypical Russian Villain in a James Bond Movie.

[@Gambetdz]

He would b the master bad guy but not all James Bond’s agents had happy endings

[@shiby1860]

he's like the main villain from call of duty cold war

[@alexanderharris8240]

he is really confused why he is being held for dealing arms by the worlds biggest arms dealer

[@frankocugura8703]

That's a no brainer,he was a competition 😅

[@seanl6478]

Well, the guy asked him why America wants him.

[@5.0h76]

Terrible trade

[@adithkaran9957]

Waiting for lord of war part 2

[@raytracer5726]

Perhaps it could be a court drama, starring the legendary Nick Cage of course.

[@adithkaran9957]

@@raytracer5726 😂yeah could be

[@binaurallegends8229]

That would be great when he supplies nuclear bombs to afghanistan

[@ERKAN41]

The United States is the largest arms dealer.

[@mosaicmonk4380]

Well said

[@blu3_enjoy]

Releasing him as a freebie would have been a better deal, Brittany grinder they can keep that.

[@Pandasnowish]

A convicted arms dealer & murderer who can hurt Americans for an nba player who can’t handle their addiction This gotta be the worst draft ever

[@Boomhauersdad]

You prob drink alcohol and don’t think that’s an addiction

[@georgewashingmachine8403]

He seems like a cool guy

[@tedtyler9336]

speaks better English than 50% of US population . lol

[@jessiegodinez1544]

He telling the truth .

[@enriquemendoza3089]

If his mentioning those people you already know

[@mr.joedirt8583]

If we trade him for Griner we'll end up having to resurrect Sean Connery to take him down.

[@masonfarber2604]

They did it

[@shiby1860]

if?

[@skullsalt]

anddd here we are

[@montavi]

The trade of the decade. They should’ve traded for Paul Whelan instead.

[@jackiesburgersandfries4604]

He's like negan and Lalo charasmatic and likeable also I've already used the trade situation to rip on Americans on mw2

[@benderbendingrofriguez3300]

the guy looks like a real life version of Johness the Dissector

[@FloridaMan786]

He speaks 6 languages

[@chronokoks]

I speak 5 - 4 I am fluent, 5th is almost fluent. Big deal... some people like me we just learn automatically and easily. It's a gift and a curse. The more nature gives you in one way, the more it takes away in others.

[@zach5994]

@@chronokoks No body asked and absoutely no one cares.

[@chronokoks]

@@zach5994 dont be jealous ;)

[@zcxhcrjvkbnpnm]

​@@chronokoks how is it a curse tho? more chance to overhear forbidden knowledge and spend dark aeons immured in ice under the gaze of strange spirits?

[@gsd8225]

I like Bout.

[@charleseggebrecht6754]

He speaks perfect English!

[@5.0h76]

Because he was a soviet translator he also speaked languages of the countries he supplied guns to

[@SportZFan4L1fe]

Russians are SMART.

[@definitionsupervillain4583]

He’s a polyglot. He even speak some couple of African languages

[@sunix8078]

He spoked 6 languages and he was in that prison for about a year back then

[@awagnow]

@@SportZFan4L1fe >russians >smart

[@raytracer5726]

Funny how he looks and talks exactly like your typical russian uncle from some siberian village.

[@djadams3356]

0:08 Me after having not paid taxes for the past two years 😂

[@billymays3514]

He seems to have some serious respect for Hillary Clinton

[@edwinguerra6060]

A lesson in keeping our mouths shut my fellow Americans

[@mr.cudles951]

Welcome home

[@tanyatodorova2167]

He's charming true

[@raymondparnell439]

Why they need him ? There's a clue !

[@diond9927]

Hopefully they release him I want lord of war 2

[@Gtr1400hp]

That’s kinda true … not really sure why hmmm

[@1RtCal]

Yea we dead

[@roujiteku2114]

anyone else see ryan gosling

[@whiskey4o4]

0:17 it's the hair cut, they thought he was a Justin Bieber imposter.

[@RobertRobinson-dy3rj]

Sean Penn can visit him

[@LightBeing369]

Everyone surprised that this guy was traded for a basketball player, but obviously there is more to this deal than what's being portrayed on the surface. Something don't smell right, very fishy

[@mrlewis4946]

Lol I met this guy once

[@kevinburke6055]

He’s a former KGB agent of course you can speak English

[@Xxmeca421xX]

Interesting

[@YantoWest]

The US wanted more margins

[@farhadkabir6877]

He's cute 🙃

[@sj4632]

Could help in the war against Ukraine. FREE BOUT!

[@binaurallegends8229]

Already free

[@Silphwave]

Let's go!

[@sj4632]

@@Silphwave LFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@JCW86]

Yeah, he should go fight in Ukraine...he'll meet his maker quickly that way.

[@Russophile30]

He would be helpful for Russia that way.

[@quintonmurphy2252]

You know why didn't anybody tell you to not play with gun's!😌

[@tedcleveland8488]

What putin wanted him back so bad tho?

[@shiby1860]

he was pretty much single handedly supporting and supplying entire armies and organizations across the globe who were all anti-imperialist and anti-us. the same us that interferes in other "illegal invasions" while causing the most wars&doing the most illegal invasions in history in record time

[@chronokoks]

@@shiby1860 And USSR imperialism was ok???? USSR - Russia invaded my country in 1968 and their troops stayed there till 1990. Dude, ALL big nations were imperialistic. Just get over it. Russians invaded China, Finland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Georgia, Syria and now Ukraine. Does that not sound imperialist??????? You're not an anti-imperialist if you don't hate Russia too.

[@user-mt8vp7pi5u]

@@shiby1860 USA did the same for The Taliban And The Mujhaideen

[@_Brennus]

Biden traded a Women's NBA player, a literal nobody, for this guy, haha!

[@mothinhead8903]

Go ask Bush admin, Obama admin... and Mrs Clinton?

[@goatgamer6364]

Hillary clinton

[@DjXXS3RL]

Boss man