Viktor Bout, the merchant of death

In December 2022, the tarmac of a Middle Eastern airport is the scene of an episode worthy of the Cold War. Amidst private jets and armed agents, two prisoners are exchanged for each other. Filmed by a camera, the scene opens the world’s television news that same evening. And for good reason, in these images we see a man in his fifties considered to be the most sulphurous arms dealer of the planet, its name: Viktor Bout.

For nearly two decades, ethnic conflicts in Africa to the rebellion zones in South America or from Southeast Asia,”Bout was the man who supplied all the armies in the world, except the Salvation Army. ” – NGOs and journalists recall, not without bitterness. Thanks to its fleet of cargo planes and its numerous ships, Bout has delivered hundreds of tons of weapons and military equipment. Its customers include some of the world’s most disreputable dictators and warlords, as well as the UN and some Western democracies.

A documentary story ofAdrien Carat

Guest :

Romain Mielcarek. An independent journalist, he specializes in defense issues and international relations. He is the author of several books, the latest of which is entitled The Moujiks: France in the clutches of Russian spies was published by Denoël in 2022.

Documentary Sources:

Book :

Arms Trafficking: Investigations into the Merchants of Death, by Laurent Léger, Flammarion (2006)

Press Articles:

Death merchant Viktor Bout will no longer sell weapons, Le Monde, 07/03/2008

Who is Viktor Bout, former arms dealer traded for basketball player Brittney Griner? The World, 08/12/2022

Viktor Bout and the Pentagon, Global Policy Forum, 12/01/2006

Who is Viktor Bout, the “arms dealer” traded for American Brittney Griner?, La BBC, 09/12/2022

Viktor Bout, Le Monde Diplomatique, in “Manière de Voir” August/September 2013

Podcasts:
Appointment with X on France Inter: But who is Viktor Bout?

Discography:

PORTISHEAD Machine gun 2008

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE Carnavoyeur 2023

MARGUERITE THIAM Broken 2024