Russian intelligence supports dubious arms deals

Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU, lends its help to shady weapons merchants in Moscow in return for a slice of the proceeds. Viktor Bout, the alleged arms dealer who was extradited to the US on Tuesday, could shed an embarrassing light on those connections if he testifies in court. The mood was excellent when US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Hanoi recently. The two top diplomats congratulated each other on their joint success in the fight against Afghan drug cartels. There was only thing that dampened the mood: the case of Viktor Bout, an alleged Russian arms dealer who was imprisoned at the time in Bangkok. The Russian foreign minister took Clinton aside, to state Moscow's position in no uncertain terms: "It is time for America to stop putting the Thai authorities under pressure." Moscow and Washington have been involved in a bitter dispute over Bout, who has been in custody since March 2008 and was finally extradited to the United States on Tuesday. The Thai prime minister, sounding unnerved, had already said that "the US and Russia should resolve this issue." Russia wanted to prevent Bout's extradition at all costs. The reason is clear: He maintains close connections to weapons and intelligence circles in Moscow. According to a United Nations investigation, Bout has allegedly trafficked weapons shipments worth millions, particularly in Africa, and in doing so has circumvented embargo rules. If he were called to testify in American courts, the Kremlin could face some embarrassing revelations.