Renowned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout has earned the moniker “Merchant of Death” for his involvement in providing armaments to numerous warlords, dictators, and rebel organizations worldwide. He has been charged with planning to kill Americans and supporting a terrorist group, in addition to inflaming crises in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted a sting operation that resulted in his arrest in Thailand in 2008. He was extradited to the United States in 2010, where he was found guilty and given a 25-year jail sentence. In a prisoner exchange agreement with the United States, he was freed in 2022 and sent back to Russia.

Viktor Bout’s Early Life and Education

On January 13, 1967, in the Soviet Union, Viktor Bout was born in Tajikistan’s capital city of Dushanbe. He was the oldest of two sons born to civil engineer Anatoly Bout and educator Raisa Bout. Sergei is the name of his brother.

He was raised in a middle-class home and went to school in Russia. He did well in school and showed an early interest in mathematics and aircraft. In addition, he picked up several languages, including Swahili, Arabic, French, Portuguese, and English.

In 1985, he enlisted in the Soviet Army and worked as an air traffic controller and translator. After earning his degree from Moscow’s Military Institute of Foreign Languages in 1991, he joined the Soviet Air Force as a lieutenant. While stationed in Angola, he saw firsthand the involvement of foreign mercenaries and arms merchants in the country’s civil war. Before departing the service in 1993, he also served in Uganda and Germany.

Viktor Bout’s Height and Physical Appearance

Viktor Bout’s height is reported to be 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 meters) by multiple sources. This is marginally higher than the World Health Organization’s estimate of 5 feet 9 inches (1.76 meters) for men in Russia.

Viktor Bout weighs roughly 73 kg (161 lbs) and has a slender physique. He has pale skin, dark brown hair, and blue eyes. He typically sports a beard and wears glasses. He is well-known for his unusual sense of style, frequently donning hats, ties, and suits.

Viktor Bout’s Personality and Character

It’s possible that Viktor Bout’s height had an impact on his charisma, confidence, and ambition. He’s characterized as intelligent, affable, persuasive, and culturally and situationally versatile. He is also an expert at deceit, a risk-taker, and a thrill-seeker. His identity and actions have been hidden through several aliases, passports, and businesses.

Along with being ruthless, selfish, and dishonest, Viktor Bout also disregards morality, the law, and human rights. He has not expressed sorrow or remorse for his acts, and he has denied any misconduct. He has stated that he is being persecuted politically and that he is a respectable businessman.

Viktor Bout’s Career and Business

Following the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Viktor Bout began his career as an armaments trader. He capitalized on the confusion and the overabundance of weaponry and aircraft in the area. To carry weapons and other commodities throughout the globe, he built a network of front firms and shell companies and bought a fleet of cargo planes.

He provided arms to several groups and governments, such as the Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone, the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, the warlord Charles Taylor of Liberia, the rebel commander Jonas Savimbi of Angola, and the FARC guerrilla group in Colombia. Along with other commodities, he dealt in gold, diamonds, oil, and pharmaceuticals. Through his transactions, he made millions of dollars and accumulated a fortune of roughly $8 million.

He conducted business in more than 50 nations, such as Libya, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, and the Congo. By utilizing fictitious documents, buying off officials, and altering his routes and places, he managed to get around international restrictions, embargoes, and arrest warrants. He was regarded as one of the world’s most dangerous and wanted gun dealers.

Viktor Bout’s Arrest and Trial

In 2008, DEA operatives acting as FARC representatives tricked Viktor Bout into falling into a trap. To negotiate a transaction for 5,000 AK-47 rifles, 100 surface-to-air missiles, and other weaponry, they set up a meeting with him in Bangkok, Thailand. They immediately took him into custody after surreptitiously recording the talk.

The charges against him included delivering anti-aircraft missiles, aiding a terrorist organization, and plotting to assassinate American civilians and officials. The most he could have been sentenced to was life in jail. He insisted that he was merely there to sell two cargo planes and refuted the accusations.

He spent two years appealing to the Thai courts and the Russian government to prevent his extradition to the United States. He argued that the United States had no jurisdiction over him and that he was innocent. A political plot against him and human rights violations were other charges he leveled against the United States.

2010 saw the Thai Supreme Court grant the United States request, leading to his eventual extradition to the United States. In 2011, he was put on trial in a federal court located in Manhattan, New York. The DEA agents’ and informants’ testimonies, emails, audio and video recordings, and other sting operation evidence were all submitted by the prosecution. According to the defense, who asserted that American operatives kidnapped Bout, he had no intention of giving weapons to the FARC.

He received a minimum 25-year prison sentence after the jury found him guilty on all counts. He was being incarcerated at Marion, the United States Penitentiary in Illinois. Despite his appeal, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the conviction and imprisonment in 2013. He persisted in claiming to be innocent and in his quest for his release and return to Russia.

Viktor Bout’s Release and Return to Russia

In 2022, Viktor Bout was released as a result of an agreement between the United States and Russia to exchange prisoners. In exchange for Brittney Griner, an American basketball player jailed by Russian officials for smuggling cannabis oil into the nation illegally, the United States agreed to free Bout. As a show of goodwill and collaboration, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden mediated the agreement.

Bout’s wife, daughters, and supporters welcomed him to Moscow after his transport. He expressed his gratitude to the Russian people and administration for their support. In addition, he thanked the American people and President Obama for granting him freedom. He expressed his happiness at being back home and his desire to get back to his regular life and career.

Additionally, on July 2, 2023, he declared that he was a candidate for a seat in the Ulyanovsk Oblast Legislative Assembly, having joined the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) in 2022. He stated that he had many ideas and projects to give and that his goal was to assist his nation and its people. After winning the election, he was elected to the regional parliament as a lawmaker.

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Conclusion

Controversial and multifaceted, Viktor Bout has fought in some of the world’s bloodiest and most deadly wars. He has earned the moniker “Merchant of Death” due to his involvement in arming various organizations and governments that have carried out crimes against humanity and violated human rights. In addition, he has been charged with planning to assist a terrorist group and murder Americans. The U.S. authorities had detained, tried, found guilty, and sentenced him to 25 years in jail. He was freed and sent back to Russia as part of a prisoner exchange agreement. In his native area, he rose to the positions of congressman and politician.

Viktor Bout stands 1.80 meters (5 feet, 11 inches) tall. This is marginally taller than the typical Russian man. It’s possible that his height influenced his charisma, ambition, and self-assurance. It might have also enhanced his standing and perception as a formidable and significant arms dealer.

The most significant or fascinating feature of Viktor Bout’s life and career is not his height. However, it is just one of the numerous elements that have molded his character, choices, and fate. He is a multifaceted individual with numerous aliases and life tales. He is a man who has altered history and the course of humankind. He is a man who is both adored and reviled, revered and feared. He is Viktor Bout, a man.

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FAQs:

1. What is the officially recorded height of Viktor Bout?
   • Official records about Viktor Bout’s height are scarce, making it challenging to determine an accurate measurement. The lack of concrete information contributes to the mystery surrounding this aspect of his life.
2. Why is there conflicting information about Viktor Bout’s height?
   • Viktor Bout operated in the shadows, involved in controversial activities, which led to secrecy and conflicting reports about personal details. The lack of transparency in his life contributes to the inconsistencies.
3. Were there any notable public appearances where Viktor Bout’s height was observed?
   • While Viktor Bout has had public appearances, details about his height during these events are often limited. Observations may vary, and the accuracy of such information remains uncertain.
4. How do rumors and speculations impact Viktor Bout’s image?
   • Rumors and speculations about Viktor Bout, including those related to his height, can contribute to shaping public perception. These narratives, whether accurate or not, become part of the overall mystique surrounding him.
5. Is Viktor Bout’s height a significant aspect of his notoriety?
   • Viktor Bout’s notoriety is primarily associated with alleged arms trafficking and criminal activities, rather than his physical stature. Height, in this context, remains a peripheral aspect in the broader narrative of his controversial life.