Viktor Bout says he has become a member of the Liberal Democratic party of Russia (LDPR), which is pro-Kremlin and has a long history of recruiting controversial figures. His announcement comes just days after he was exchanged for US basketball star Brittney Griner in a prisoner swap. 
Speaking to reporters, Bout said he joined the LDPR  'because the party stands for the Russian world' and 'our great motherland. It was a natural choice.'
Freed Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout joins ultranationalist party