Victor Bout's File

Victor Bout is a former KGB major and arms merchant, the most notorious in the Post Cold War era and he plays a critical role in areas where the weapons trade has been embargoed by the United Nations.
Mr. Bout (pronounced "Butt" in Russian) combines his legal airline activities with illegal ones. His fleet of aircraft has been based in Central African countries, South Africa and U.A.E. of Sharjah. He also operated out of Ostend, Belgium and he seems to have had connections with Mexair in Geneva (1989-1994).
While I thought nothing of it I photographed some of his aircraft at Sharjah in 1999, but later I stumbled on his story while I tried to identify some of his aircraft (couldn't, they were carrying illegal registrations). I became fascinated by his exploits and while he is being searched by media and governmental agencies, he seems to hide in the shadows and run his businesses.
In 2002 he changed the name of his company again, from Air Cess to Air Bas, while previous also having operated as Centrafricain Airlines and Air Pass.
While Air Bas (registered in Equatorial Guinea, under cover company CET Aviation) was still current in 2004 (though no aircraft carried these titles), his company (allegedly) British Gulf International Airlines (registered in Sao Tome and a subsidiary, under the same name, in Kyrgyzstan) was reported to have landed contracts from the US (which in turn put Western Allies under pressure to get Mr Bout off the blacklists). Victor Bout gave an interview to Peter Landesman, which was published (in German) in the Süddeutsche Zeitung (no.43 24Oct03); below is a link to the article in English (but requires registering with the NY Times). Before this interview the only publicly available photo of him was secretly taken by a Belgian journalist in March 2001 on an airstrip in Congo. And his only statements had been brief denials of his role in arms trafficking. He walked out of a CNN interview in March 2002.

Air Cess Il-18 leased to Damal Airlines
Ilyushin Il-18 of Air Cess leased to Damal Airlines

The following information has been found in publications on the Internet:

Victor Bout and Air Foyle, UK air firm linked to sanctions buster
Africa's merchant of death
Air Cess and illegal trafficking
Ostend Airport involved in Arms Running
Connection between a Boeing 707, Afghan Warlord Rashid Dostum and V.Bout
The criminal stories of the good soldier Bout
In connection with Al Qaeda !
An investigation into the illicit diamond trade
violation of the sanctions against UNITA, a UN Security Council Report
Africa's Merchant of Death sold Arms to the Taliban
Victor Bout, Al-Qaida and Slovak contacts
2002: Key African arms dealer arrested
Victor Anatoliyevich Bout
The Lone Wolf
Bout Linked to Taliban Gold
Named and Shamed, diamond dealings in Africa
Air Cess to Air Bas to ..... ?
V.Bout: US Trading Partner (by Kathryn Cramer)
Victor Bout's American Connection
Arms and the Man, an interview by Peter Landesman discussed
Victor Bout, US Trading Partner (by Michael Scherer, sep.2004)
Viktor Bout in the movies
UK aid flights linked to arms dealer
Air Bas: subcontractor for the US
KBR subcontracting Air Bas
Connected: Aerocom, Jet Line and Air Mero
More on: Jet Line, Irbis Airlines, Air Bas, British Gulf Int'l and Falcon Express Cargo
V.Bout and the US Dept of Treasury
Bloggers' update on V.Bout
More airline names connected to V.Bout
Kosmas Air, no connection to VB
Democratic Republic of Congo: a sad State of Affiars
New Names surface as linked to V.Bout
Tom's Freedom of Information Request
Operation Firedump
Viktor Bout and the Pentagon
Naming Names and Other Queries
US Treasury sanctions Congo firms for arms trade (Mar.2007)
Is Galaxy Air a new V.Bout airline?
Victor Bout: where did he go?
Click Airways

External links:

Ostend Airport arm's connection
Fatal Transactions
Victor Bout Issues Statement on Arms Trafficking Allegations
http://gangstersinc.tripod.com/VictorBout.html, a profile
(Victor Butt) Arms and Conflict in Africa
UN Special report S/2001/1015
Viktor Bout receives US Aid for services rendered in Iraq
Wanted in Africa, Needed in Iraq
Arms and the Man, by Peter Landesman (17Aug2003)
Making a Killing - The Business of War
War and Piece, commentary by Laura Rozen, Int'l News and Commentary
VB on trackingthethreat.com
Victor Bout Bloggers
The Yorkshire Ranter on V.Bout
Richard Chichakli strikes back, in defense of himself and V.Bout
Viktor Bout on Wikipedia.org
Dead on Time – arms transportation, brokering and ... (Amnesty Int'l May 2006)
Douglas Farah on Viktor Bout, Foreign Policy Magazine, Nov/Dec 2006 (.pdf document)
Merchant of Death, the book. By Douglas Farah & Stephen Braun

The book... Former West African Bureau Chief of the Washington Post Douglas Farah and Los Angeles Times National Correspondent Stephen Braun detail how a small circle of U.S. officials and international investigators worked doggedly to shut down Viktor Bout's arms pipelines, only to be trumped by Bout's ingenuity and by their own inability-and, in some cases, unwillingness-to confront the dark side of the new world order.
Published in 2007:


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Created: 03-8-02
Last updated 20.8.2006