Viktor Bout Reveals The Five Words He Said To Brittney Griner During Prisoner Exchange

Viktor Bout only said five words to Brittney Griner when the two were swapped in a controversial prisoner exchange.

The arms dealer known as "The Merchant of Death" was traded by Joe Biden's administration for the WNBA player after she was sentenced to nearly a decade in a Russian prison on drug charges following what can best be described as a show trial.

During a moment that could have come straight out of a Cold War spy film, the pair were swapped back to their respective countries at an airport in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Viktor Bout had a short exchange with Griner.

Now, the infamous arms dealer, who had his hands in just about every major conflict prior to his arrest, revealed the few words he said to Griner before they got on their planes.

"So, I said, you know, 'I wish you good luck.' And, you know, and we both went to our, you know, planes," Bout told ESPN when explaining what happened on the tarmac in Abu Dhabi.

Simply a surreal comment from Bout after years in American custody to a woman the Russians had used as a pawn.

Again, it's a scene straight out of the Cold War at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin.

Viktor Bout reveals he wished Brittney Griner "good luck" during controversial prisoner exchange. (Photo by Chumsak Kanoknan/ Getty Images)

Bout claims Russian people were upset with his arrest.

What was also interesting about ESPN's interview with Bout is that he seemed to defend his actions and arrest without much pushback from the network.

"Well, think of this, that the same outrage was in Russia when I was sentenced to 25 years. Many people would say, 'For what? Just for talking? Are you serious?' There is not even a proper translation to Russian of the crime of conspiracy. We don't have such even the legal term, So, this is this same kind of outrage in Russia about my case and about many other cases," Bout told ESPN.

He also claimed he told American law enforcement agents that the two sides share "the same enemy" upon his arrest. We're going to need a fact check on that one because I have no idea who the hell Bout could possibly be talking about.

Viktor Bout was traded for Brittney Griner in a controversial prisoner swap. (Photo by U.S. Department of Justice via Getty Images)

What an absolutely incredible situation that's hard to believe was even real. At least Brittney Griner is back home, but America certainly paid one hell of a high price to get her.