Photo: Global Look Press
American lawyer Steve Zissou, representing the interests of Russian Viktor Bout, denied the statement about the decline in Russia’s interest in his client.
Earlier, the corresponding statement was made on the air of CNN. It was reported that Moscow’s response to Washington’s offer to exchange Booth for Americans Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan is “insufficient.”
The presenter said that, probably, after many years of Bout in prison, Moscow no longer considers his return an important task.
“I don’t think this reduces Russia’s interest in bringing Bout home,” Zissou said. According to him, Moscow has been sending clear signals over the past decade about its intention to return the Russian businessman to his homeland.
Earlier, CNN, citing sources, reported that Russia allegedly requested the United States to include another Russian on the exchange list – Vadim Krasikov, who was sentenced to life on charges of murdering Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a former field commander during the Chechen War, in Berlin in 2019. German investigators claimed that Krasikov allegedly received a task to kill a former militant from the state departments of the Russian Federation. According to CNN, Washington considered Moscow’s request for Krasikov’s exchange “problematic”, including because he remains in custody in Germany.