Yenakiyevo, Feb 1 — DAN. Russian businessman Viktor Bout who was released from a U.S. prison last year, has said that he is ready to join a new organization to help the needy Russians.

“Probably as any Russian, I have the wish to always stand side by side in these difficult times helping the Motherland, ” Bout said at the founding conference of the Liberal Democratic Party branch in Yenakiyevo. “There was a discussion at the level of the State Duma about the need to set up a federal body to help Russians who have found themselves in a difficult situation, especially abroad.”

Hopefully, this body will be established and begin to work this year. “I’m going to take an active part in its work, ” he added.

Bout was detained in Bangkok in 2008 on arrest warrant issued by a U.S. court. He was accused of illegal supplies of weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerilla group which Washington blacklisted as terrorist. Two years later, Bout was extradited to the USA. In April 2012, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison and a 15-million-dollar fine.

He returned to Russia on December 8, 2022 after the USA and Russia reached the accord to swap him for U.S. basketballer Brittney Griner.*jk