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TenzenEnna t1_j087cpu wrote

Reply to comment by Pechumes in Oregon governor commutes all 17 of state's death sentences by Slavic_Dusa

It was well documented that he was working FOR the CIA along with working with the Russians. He played the double game until we got tired of him.

Also how is he incredibly dangerous. He's a known person who was taken out of the game before Bitcoin was even invented. His knowledge of where shit was left after the collapse of the soviet union is unquestionably worthless.

I know it's important for the narrative that he matters, but there's a reason we were going to let him out of jail in the first place, because now he's just some random old man.

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Pechumes t1_j08ag7f wrote

How is he incredibly dangerous?! He was one of the most prolific arms dealers in the world. He still has all of his knowledge, his contacts, and probably expanded his criminal network while in prison. But don’t take my word for it, listen to a veteran national security corespondent for Newsweek and Time.

“Braun disagrees with those who argue that Bout is a has-been, that his network has frayed and his business model collapsed. If anything, Braun says, Bout has probably made valuable contacts over the nearly dozen years he has spent in the U.S. prison system.

“Anyone who thinks he’s washed up and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is not going to push him back into service, it’s beyond me,” Braun said. “People who believe that don’t understand how the real underworld works.”

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/12/12/viktor-bout-merchant-of-death-00073422

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