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Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout visits occupied Ukraine

FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2010, file photo, suspected Russian arms smuggler Viktor Bout, center, is led by armed Thai police commandoes as he arrives at the criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand. The latest effort to nullify the conviction Bout has met an unreceptive audience of U.S. appeals court judges. All three judges on a panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hearing an appeal on behalf of Bout expressed skepticism Monday, Oct. 31, 2016, about his claims of unfair prosecution. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong, File)
by: WRTV Staff
Posted: / Updated:

Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout visited the Russian-occupied city of Luhansk Saturday, according to Russia’s state media.

Bout was recently freed in a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia for WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was convicted by a Russian court for being in possession of cannabis oil, which is illegal there.

Bout was at an opening event for the pro-Kremlin Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.

Bout said he was sure the occupied region “would soon be peaceful, and people would live without fear for their future,” according to Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency.

Bout told Russian channel RT that he “wholeheartedly” supports Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine; a term the Russian government uses for its military invasion of the country.

Bout said he would be willing to go voluntarily as a fighter for Russia if he had the skills and opportunity.

Earlier this month, Bout said he felt terrible after his journey during the prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia involving Griner.

He told the TASS news agency that he expects to get his documents and drawings from his time incarcerated, and expects those to be delivered to the Russian embassy, Reuters reported.

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