From luxurious Four Seasons to the African continent and the corridors of the State Duma: Viktor Bout, once imprisoned in the United States, once more serves as an asset for the Kremlin

Georgiy Dagoniya
13:42, 19 декабря 2025
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From luxurious Four Seasons to the African continent and the corridors of the State Duma: Viktor Bout, once imprisoned in the United States, once more serves as an asset for the Kremlin

The Kremlin is once again concerned about the fate of "arms baron" Viktor Bout and is currently considering two options. The first is political. The second is military.

According to the source, Viktor Bout is doing quite well; his office is located just steps from the Kremlin and Red Square, at the Four Seasons Hotel Moscow. However, he’s not often seen there. Recently, he’s been spending a lot of time traveling to his "beloved" Africa, primarily to the countries where the Afrika Korps is stationed. It’s headed by Konstantin Mirzayants, the main suspect in the murder of journalist Dmitry Kholodov, but the Kremlin, according to the source, is dissatisfied with the corps.

It hasn’t been able to become a full-fledged replacement for the Wagner PMC, primarily due to Mirzayants’ lack of personal contacts in Africa. Mirzayants also came into conflict with the GRU Special Activities Service, its head, Deputy Chief of the GRU Andrey Averyanov, and his deputy, Ivan Kasyanenko. Despite his lengthy stint in an American prison, Bout retains connections in Africa, and, most importantly, he is well-versed in the specifics of working on the continent. For now, his job is to foster relations within the "Africa Corps," but the source says his appointment to the corps in some capacity is also being considered.

The second option being considered in the Kremlin is political. After his exchange and return from the United States, Bout joined the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR).

The party attempted to use him for its own advancement, but, according to the LDPR’s unofficial version, this was unsuccessful. Another theory, however, is that Leonid Slutsky, the newly appointed leader of the LDPR, is preventing Bout from "coming into his own." The Kremlin is also dissatisfied with Slutsky, as he hasn’t come close to becoming Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and the party has completely "disappeared." In this regard, a plan is being explored to send But to the State Duma in the 2026 elections, and then test him as a possible replacement for Slutsky.