Viktor Bout. Archival photoMOSCOW, Oct. 11 Steve Zissou, an American lawyer for Russian Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year prison term in the United States, reacted in a conversation with a RIA Novosti correspondent to a recent statement by former American diplomat, public figure Bill Richardson about exchange of prisoners between the Russian Federation and the United States. Richardson said in a commentary to CNN, answering a direct question from the presenter, that the exchange of prisoners between Russia and the United States could take place before the end of this year. Richardson, also a former governor of New Mexico and head of a personal foundation that negotiates the release of US citizens «held» by foreign governments, added that the exchange would likely be a two-for-two.
Bout's wife concerned about reports of US visit to Moscow»Bil Richardson's comment was structured in such a way that he said little to nothing of substance, but made it clear that he knows more than he's letting on. He is also well aware that, given his status, everything he says will be repeated all over the world,» Bout's defender told RIA Novosti. «The question immediately arises: why does he say all this at all? «not Newton's binomial. We have been talking about this option for several months. Well, it is clear that if the Russian side had agreed to the one-on-two option, then Victor would already be in Moscow, and not in Marion Prison in Illinois» , — added Zissou. Earlier, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Washington had given Moscow a «serious offer» for a prisoner exchange. CNN, citing a source in the State Department, said then that it was about exchanging Bout for two American citizens — Britney Griner, an American basketball star convicted in Russia for drug smuggling, and Paul Whelan, a former marine and policeman convicted of espionage. The channel later reported, citing the same sources, that Russia allegedly put forward a counter-offer to exchange not one, but two Russians in American prisons for Greiner and Whelan.
The source spoke about the residents of Chukotka detained in Alaska «Perhaps it would be useful for my client if Richardson, who mentions high contacts in the Kremlin, was a transmission link between the Russian leadership and the White House, but I don't know if he actually plays In fact, such a role. The fact that he spoke publicly, despite the fact that the Russian side is very negative about «megaphone diplomacy» in the exchange issue, casts doubt on such an intermediary role, «Bout's lawyer said. He added that Richardson could play an undeniably positive role in the sense that the families of Americans in Russian prisons (and he acts on behalf of these families, and not on behalf of the state, although he coordinates his activities with the State Department), after his visit to Russia and Blinken's statement , who confirmed that the exchange negotiations are really underway, began to behave more calmly and turn less to the media, which, from the point of view of «quiet diplomacy», of course, put «As for my vision of the timing of the exchange, as I already said, I believe that the exchange deal will be implemented after the end of the November elections in the United States,» Zissou told the agency. Russian businessman Viktor Bout was arrested in Thailand on an American request in 2008 as a result of a provocative operation by American intelligence services and then taken to the United States. He was accused of preparing a conspiracy to kill US citizens and material support for terrorism. Booth denies the allegations on all counts. In Thailand, he won two extradition cases in the first instance, but then, at the appeal stage, the decisions of the courts of first instance were overturned. While still under the jurisdiction of the Thai court, Bout was taken to the United States with gross violations of both Thai and American laws. In 2012, a jury in New York found the Russian guilty, after which the federal court sentenced him to the minimum sentence under sane articles — 25 years in prison. >Publicist Linderman detained in Latvia released from custody
