Russia's 'Merchant of Death' Victor Bout Refuses to Volunteer for Frontline

Viktor Bout, the freed Russian arms dealer nicknamed "the Merchant of Death," shrugged off a question over whether he would be prepared to join forces fighting to Moscow in Ukraine during an appearance on a Russian radio program.

Bout was released in December from prison in the United States, where he was serving a 25-year sentence, in a high-profile prisoner swap with Moscow in which WNBA star Brittney Griner was freed from a Russian jail.

Shortly after his release, he told a Russian media outlet that he would be prepared to fight in the war and that "if I had the opportunity and the necessary skills, I would, of course, volunteer."

However, he appeared to be less keen on the idea when asked in an interview with Russian radio about his willingness to serve on the frontline.

During a discussion on Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda, Bout said, "like any Russian man, a patriot of the Motherland, I support this operation."

He said that he would do "everything in my power to speed up our victory and achieve all of our goals" as he described how the war, called a special military operation by Russia, had the support of "most of our population."

Bout, 55, is positioning himself for a political career and joined the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) soon after he returned to Russia. When asked about why he wanted to jump into politics straight away, Bout said that he had "energy that has to be spent on doing something for the Motherland."

Host Alexander Gamov read out a question from a listener named Vladimir Ivanovich that tested the courage of Bout's convictions, asking whether he had received an offer to join the Wagner Group of mercenaries from its financier, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

"Let Bout prove his patriotism towards the motherland by joining Wagner in Soledar," the listener said, referring to the town near the Donetsk city of Bakhmut where the private military company (PMC) is engaged in a fierce battle.

Bout replied, "No, there were no offers to join the PMC. You have to understand where you can be most useful, and which of your skills and knowledge would be handy."

Journalist and Russia watcher Julia Davis tweeted the exchange and wrote that Bout "chickens out of going to war," and "despite claiming to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Bout does not intend to risk his own life."

Bout was sentenced in April 2012 following a conviction of conspiring to kill U.S. citizens and officials, selling weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and aiding a terrorist organization.

Former British Foreign Office minister Peter Hain coined the nickname "merchant of death" for Bout in 2003 and a film based loosely on his life was released in 2005 called Lord of War.