Russian businessman Viktor But was arrested last week in Thailand. US authorities and UN experts accuse him of executing mass illegal arms deliveries. In 2005 the US finance ministry froze the assets and passed to the UN Committee for sanctions the information about 30 firms related to But. US authorities affirm that But owns a network of aviation transport enterprises based in different countries of the world - that’s Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and USA. He is also alleged to control the largest private air fleet consisting of the transport aircraft made in the USSR. The weapons sold by him or through his agency were used in the conflicts and supported the regimes on which the UN imposed sanctions. That was in Afghanistan, Angola, Congo, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Sudan. So far Mr. But himself denied flatly any involvement in the arms traffic saying he only had been engaged in freight service.          

Mr. But was arrested as a result of special operation by US Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA. DEA agents managed to entice him to Bangkok from Moscow. Acting under disguise of representatives of FARC (rebelling fighters of revolutionary forces of Columbia) they offered him an alluring deal. FARC fighters, who have been waging a many-year guerilla-terrorist war against Columbian government, needed allegedly the delivery of 100 units of the Russian mobile anti-aircraft system “Igla” in the value of $15 millions. A Bulgarian mediator secured the weapons with forged export documents. Foolhardy and experienced pilots were needed to parachute the cargo in the Columbian jungles. It is reported that Mr. But was negotiated through the mediation of Andrei Smulyan, a British citizen, who asked 5 million dollars for the delivery mentioned above.              

The legend by DEA sounded persuasive. Columbian Air Force helicopters had stressed FARC. 1 March the staff camp of FARC was destroyed in Ecuador at a distance of 1.5 km from the Columbian border. 24 gunmen were killed including the second man in FARC Raul Reyes.    

Marxist-revolutionaries from FARC are a wealthy client, as they control major part of Columbian cocaine traffic. Washington says that Mr. But had dealt with drug-revolutionary FARC before, which made him become noticed by DEA. The Thai police arrested Viktor But with the tip-off by Americans, and Mr. Smulyan got arrested in the USA. 

Viktor But is called a “KGB major” in the West, while he himself denies that. He was born in 1967 in Dushanbe (Tajikistan) and graduated from Moscow military institute of foreign languages, which is more likely to indicate his relation to military intelligence service. Traditionally, our professional arms dealers come exactly from this kind of special service. As for security services, its employees began to arrive at the weapons trading sphere 8-10 years ago.     

After collapse of Warsaw Treaty Organization and the USSR, the free weapons market developed a well organized and structured network of mediators and suppliers who provide permanent deliveries and bring mercenaries to take part in conflicts all over the world. Our traders complain about Bulgarians, who dominated in the black weapon market during all the 90’s due to their good business with Croats and other participants of the wars in the former Yugoslavia. The DEA agents have used the information about a Bulgarian mediator, which means that country is still stands firm in the arms market even after joining NATO and the EU. The mediators make up sham transactions, get round export control and ensure export of military machinery and mercenaries from Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe countries. Such dealing wouldn’t be possible without involvement by special services and state apparatus.            

For example, in spring 1999 when NATO was bombing Yugoslavia, a Russian military aircraft An-124 “Ruslan” was detained in the city of Baku (Azerbaijan). It had on board 6 dissembled Kazakh fighters Mig-21, armament, and equipment for on surface service, and pilots and mechanics (future mercenaries). The crew stated they were flying to North Korea, Moscow said the cargo receiver was in Slovakia, Astana said it was intended for Czechia, the Kazakh firm (the buyer of the written off Mig’s) declared its customer to be from Bosnia. Azerbaijani authorities had reckoned that the fighters were intended for Serbs and wanted to please the West. Later they had to let the aircraft go with its cargo on board. They say the plane went to some African destination.      

Illegal arms trading may bring together amazing partners. Today the “Russian pilots” - this is the name for all staff from former soviet union - flying the Ethiopian aircraft, delivered from Russia, bomb jointly with Americans the Islamic fighters in Somali. Our other arms dealers and mercenaries act on the Ethiopian’s enemy’s side – Eritrea – who support those Islamic fighters. Letter of caption being issued in Belgium on Mr. But’s name in 2002, his aircraft continued to deliver the weapons to Iraq by order from the Pentagon. Those weapons might have been used, say, by Kurd guerillas for attacking Turkish or Iranian militaries to whom Russia also sends the arms officially.

Probably, Mr. But was only a carrier, but if he starts telling what, where and for whom he delivered the cargoes, some people will wish it had never happened. This is why Moscow developed two opposing ideas: to pretend to be indifferent – as if saying Russia has nothing to do with it -, or to require Mr. But’s extradition from Thailand, like it was done about Evgeny Adamov, former atomic minister, who was got out from the Swiss prison and saved from American justice done to him, and then was given a prison sentence in the Motherland, just to be on the safe side. Well, Thailand is no Switzerland, and the local prisons and justice may be mortally dangerous for foreigners. So Mr. But might give his consent to accelerated extradition to the USA and co-operation with DEA.