Freed Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout joins ultranationalist party

Bout, who was released in prisoner exchange, says he has no immediate plans to take part in elections

The Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who returned home last week in a prisoner exchange for the American basketball star Brittney Griner, has joined the pro-Kremlin far-right Liberal Democratic party (LDPR), in a move that could see him seek a seat in the Russian parliament.

In a video posted on telegram, LDPR's leader, Leonid Slutsky, who was standing next to Bout, said: I want to thank Viktor Anatolievich [Bout] for the decision he has made and welcome him into the ranks of the best political party in today's Russia."