Viktor Bout Biography, Education, Career, Controversies, And Net Worth

Maria Olanrewaju | October 8, 2024 | Find It | No Comments

Viktor Anatolyevich Bout, born on January 13, 1967, in Dushanbe, then part of the Soviet Union, is a Russian arms dealer and politician. Known for his significant role in international arms trafficking, Bout ran multiple businesses to supply arms from Eastern Europe to conflict zones across Africa and the Middle East during the 1990s and early 2000s.

Viktor Bout Profile

Name	Viktor Bout
Real Name	Viktor Anatolyevich Bout
Date of Birth	13 January 1967
Age	57 years
Nationality	Russian
Occupation	Arms dealer and Politician
Religion	N/A
Marital Status	Married
Net Worth	$50 Million
Copied from	contents101.com

Educational Background

Bout’s educational background is not well-documented, but he is a former Soviet military translator. His language skills, developed in his military role, were pivotal to his arms-trafficking career, allowing him to negotiate deals across multiple regions.

Career

Bout started his career as a Soviet military translator and later became a weapons manufacturer and dealer. Through various companies, he funneled arms to war-torn regions, bypassing international embargoes. He became notorious for supplying weapons to rogue states, rebel factions, and militias. His arms sales helped fuel conflicts in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. In 2008, he was arrested in Thailand in a sting operation led by U.S. authorities and later extradited to the U.S.

In 2011, Bout was sentenced to 25 years in prison for terrorism-related charges. After spending a decade behind bars, Bout was released in a high-profile prisoner swap for American basketball player Brittney Griner in December 2022. Since his release, he has joined the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, winning a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ulyanovsk Oblast in 2023.

Controversies

Viktor Bout has been at the center of numerous controversies throughout his life, primarily related to his arms trafficking operations. He was accused of supplying weapons to groups engaged in severe human rights abuses and conflict zones under embargo.

In 2011, Bout was convicted by a U.S. court for conspiring to kill U.S. nationals, including officials, and for providing arms to a terrorist organization. Recently, reports emerged that Bout is allegedly attempting to resume arms dealings, specifically negotiating sales to Yemen’s Houthi forces. This has not been independently confirmed but has sparked significant concern in international circles.

Viktor Bout Social Media Handle

There is no verified public social media account associated with Viktor Bout.

Personal Life

Bout has been married to Alla Vladimirovna Bout since 1992. Alla is a fashion designer and former businesswoman with stores in several countries. The couple has a daughter, Yelizaveta, born in 1994. Bout is known to be a vegetarian and claims to follow a variety of philosophical beliefs, drawing inspiration from figures like Leo Tolstoy and Ivan Ilyin. He speaks several languages, including English, French, Portuguese, Tajik, Farsi, and Zulu, among others.