Russia Wants ‘Merchant of Death’ In Exchange For Out Basketball Player Brittney Griner

Russia Wants ‘Merchant of Death’ In Exchange For Out Basketball Player Brittney Griner
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Russian officials have floated the idea of releasing Out American basketball player, Brittney Griner in exchange for a Russian arms dealer held in the United States.

The Russian arms dealer in question is Viktor Bout, AKA the “Merchant of Death”. He is currently serving a 25-year sentence for trying to sell weapons to individuals who planned on killing Americans. 

According to the New York Times, the United States has been proposing the exchange of Griner as well as fellow American Paul Whelan for Bout since June. 

Whelan has been held in Russia on espionage charges since 2018. He is serving a 16-year sentence. 

US: Russia Not Negotiating in Good Faith

While the United States has not publicly revealed Bout as an exchange option, Russia has acknowledged the idea of a trade. 

According to the Interfax news agency, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei A. Ryabkov said, “So far, we have not come to a common denominator, but it is undeniable that Viktor Bout is among those who are being discussed, and we certainly count on a positive result.” 

The US was not so optimistic about the exchange, with State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel saying, on November 18, “We have made a substantial offer that the Russian Federation has consistently failed to negotiate in good faith on.” 

Patel continued, “The Russian Government’s failure to seriously negotiate on these issues in the established channels or any other channel for that matter runs counter to its public statements. Ultimately here, actions speak louder than words.”

Held In Penal Colony Known For Violence and Harsh Conditions

According to her lawyer, Griner was transferred to the IK-2 female penal colony, in the town of Yavas, earlier this month, to serve her nine-year sentence. According to the New York Times, the colony can hold up to 820 inmates and is known for violence, overcrowding, harsh conditions, and political indoctrination. 

In July, Griner pled guilty to drug charges, however, she maintains that she did not intentionally break the law.

In court at the time, Griner said, “I’d like to plead guilty, your honour.” 

She continued, “But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law.”

President Biden Determined To Get Her Home

President Biden has said that he is “determined to get her home and get her home safely.”

On February 17, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) All-Star was arrested in Moscow.  

Since then, there have been continued efforts to secure her release.

The Russian Federal Customs Service released a video on March 5, claiming that they had detained Griner after finding vape cartridges that contained, what amounted to, less than 0.3 grams of hashish oil in her checked baggage. 

According to the Russian Customs Service, drug-sniffing dogs alerted them to the presence of a banned substance and a subsequent search uncovered the vape cartridges.

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