Outrageous... Now they have abused foreign courts to illegally detain one man and now going to try him in a circus show in the US. While they are doing the same with a Russian pilot the US kidnapped. I guess the Russia government just will let them hang...

Russia should bust some US criminals (CIA) that are flying some heroin into Russia

Why Russia is not able to defend its own citizens? (good or bad they are)

Not that I support an arms dealer but the U.S has a grim record when it comes to dispensing justice and it will be shameful miscarriage of justice if this man is to be sent to the Police state of the United States. Russia should use all that within its diplomatic means to prevent this man being sent to the U.S. Russia also needs to make it clear to the U.S that Russian citizens cannot be kidnapped from countries as it was done to a Russian pilot very recently. If Victor Bout was an American, the hell would have frozen before he would be allowed to be extradited to Russia to stand trial –so whyis he going to be extradites to the U.S?

Mr Bout who is not exactly "Russian" like the other crime bosses if you know what I mean has a history of covertly running weapons flights on behalf of the CIA which has a long history of supporting the drugs trade in Columbia and Latin America. Even Russia used him to deliver arms to the Northern Alliance to fight the Taliban during the late 90’s before he switched sides seeing more profit in providing arms to the Taliban operating out of the UAE. So it is a wonder why Russia is trying to defend him and the US is trying to prosecute him.

I have followed this case for some time and have been of the view, relying on the reports given on RT, that somewhere it stinks of rotten fish. It was of no surprise to me, earlier, when the lower court threw the case out. Neither is it a surprise to me now to hear that the Thai Court of Appeal has overturned the ruling of the Lower Court. It is obvious that it is political, since apparently, and I say apparently because the media reports here have stated that there is no evidence he was or is involved in arms dealing, the court were never shown any evidence, but only hearsay and suspicion. However my understanding of the Thai judicial system is this There are three levels of Courts of Justice: Courts of First Instance, Courts of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Justice. The Supreme Court of Justice has jurisdiction to hear and adjudicate appeals from the Courts of Appeal and from specialized courts of the Courts of First Instance. The Supreme Court can hear appeals on questions of law, and in certain cases questions of fact. In the question of Bout, it has only been reported that he has been through two courts. The Courts of First Instance, where he was acquitted on lack of evidence. which has been overturned by the Courts of Appeal. Therefore he has the right for his case to be heard by the Supreme Court, who have the power to overturn the ruling of the Court of Appeal. If the Supreme Court uphold the judgment of the Appeal Court, then it must be for the Russian Government to step in and start the the diplomatic and political side of the case. As all local judicial remedies of Thailand will have been exhausted.

The more substantive issue is the undeclared (but very real) large scale drug war which has been raging between the U.S. and Russia for 50 years now. It is all very well having ongoing talks about de-escalating nuclear arsenal capacities...but when will the 'real' detente' talks commence ? From the drug-poisoning of U.S. soldiers in Vietnam to Russian soldiers in Afghanistan, the drug war escalated to targeting each others citizens (from Afghan heroin into Russia this past decade to Colombian cocaine into the U.S.). I can't help but wonder that if such substantive talks were commence (i.e. something which Mr Lavrov does have the power to do)...that the 'storm in a tea-cup' case against Mr Bout...would simply evaporate.

@Niall Mc Cabe.... So you are insinuating that Russia is responsible for the cocaine trade in South America going into the United States? Do you know most of the governments have been overthrown there by the CIA? The biggest supplier of cocaine is a direct US puppet and hosting US military. Mexican drug cartels are running rampant and you'd think US government would seal a border with such a country? Cuba's old relationship with Soviet Union makes you think America's drug trade is linked? Or is it Chavez looking for support? He was giving America cheap oil, but since he nationalized the oil fields, kicking out Western Big oil, the same American revoluitonaries (CIA, School of Americas, National Endowment for Democracy) had Chavez removed, but the people brought him back because they didn't want to have a puppet government. CIA knew all along. CIA are the biggest drug pushers in the world, it funds their black projects. US government is the largest arms exporter. Not always giving the nicest people weapons, even arming their current enemy, the Taliban. So this case is extremely hypocritical, political, and even beyond international law.

Viktor Bout needs to urgently make public nformation about his air cargo operations. How did his companies grow so big over such a short period of time in the nineties? Where did the funding come from? Who were his partners? Who were his clients? Did his clients invest money in his business making him a just a front man? I think the UK intelligence service and a particular operative whose existence is unfolding was involved in Bout's companies operations and that's why it's imperative for Bout to be silenced.

Ruthe Do you think that Viktor Bout’s crime is greater than that of Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, George W.Bush and other thieves who orchestrated the illegal invasion, occupation and the systematic rape of Iraq? For your information, Russia can retaliate in more profound and unexpected ways for the U.S illegal attempt to imprison Mr. Bout. The biggest thieves and the true merchants of death are free inside the United States. They are the people who set up Blacwater, Halliburton and such similar instruments of corporate crime against humanity. I guess the U.S corporate elite is so out of touch with reality that they see catching Mr. Bout such a big deal! For them he is a trophy. Nobody is going to accept justice of those presiding over Guantanamo and countless other known and unknown gulags. Russia shall bring its diplomatic weight on Thailand not extradite Mr. Bout to the police state of the nation that runs Guantanamo style justice.

Artyom I agree with you that illegal drugs in Latin America and in Afghanistan are linked in the way you have outlined. Russia has failed to take urgent steps to make illegal drug trafficking coming to Russia the gravest national security facing Russia-more than demographic density , the economy and other aspects of national security. Russia’s voice has been silenced and sidelined when it comes to the geopolitical use of illegal drugs. I do hope that Russia is now waking up and will take multi-sited and multi-pronged strategies to battle illegal drugs coming to Russia. One such strategy is dealing with subversive elements in the Caucasus and retools its military capability to fight illegal drugs coming to Russia. The other part is working with other nations in the area to make fighting illegal drugs a priority. Viktor Bout is a sideshow issue. The U.S finances countless illegal trafficking of weapons to conflict zones. Ruthe It does not matter whether Mr. Bout make his "secrets" public now or not. I am sure the FSB knows them, so does the CIA!

Hi Artyom. Your comment "@Niall Mc Cabe.... So you are insinuating that Russia is responsible for the cocaine trade in South America going into the United States?" I am not 'insinuating' any such thing. I am merely stating that if the US 'perceive' they are hurting domestically as a result of drugs being shipped in from overseas...they will tend to think of (as Obama recently put it)...whose butt do I kick ? i.e. someone will have to be found to be responsible...that's just how things work. Likewise, the decade-long resurgence of heroin being shipped once again from Afghanistan into Russia is causing an annual 30,000 deaths in southern Russia...equivalent to 10 x 911's happening every single year...so for sure the Russians also have every right to feel angry about the present situation...and being human...will likely also want to find someone responsible. The key point I am trying to get across is that the massive drug problems being suffered by both the US and Russia during the last 50 years is the real underlying problem and 'THAT' is the issue which should be being resolved. If such substantive issues 'were' to be addressed...then the who is being accused of shipping whatever to wherever...becomes mute and irrelevant. I hope this clarifies the matter.