"From Arms Dealer to Political Candidate: Brittney Griner's Unexpected Journey"

Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was released in a prisoner swap for U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner, has been selected as a candidate for a seat in the legislative assembly of the Ulyanovsk region in central Russia by the far-right Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR). Bout, once known as "the merchant of death," served 10 years of a 25-year sentence in the U.S. on arms dealing charges. The LDPR, despite its name, holds far-right, ultra-nationalist views and supports President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.