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Viktor Bout is escorted by Thai police as he arrives at a criminal court in Bangkok in 2010.

REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Meet the Merchant of Death

WNBA star Brittney Griner has now landed in the United States after Russia agreed to free her from a nine-year prison term for drug possession in exchange for Viktor Bout, a Russian citizen and notorious arms dealer known as the "Merchant of Death." Who is he, and why is he worth so much to Moscow that Vladimir Putin agreed to trade such a prized bargaining chip as Griner to get him back?

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Luisa Vieira

The Graphic Truth: Ukraine's long-range Western arsenal

For months, Ukraine has been resisting the Russian invasion in no small part due to a steady supply of arms from Western nations, led by the US and its NATO allies. This includes long-range weapons, which allow the Ukrainians to strike Russian targets from a distance — crucial to keeping enemy forces away and stalling their advance. But the West has also been careful to avoid giving Ukraine its most high-tech toys, wary that it might push the Russians to escalate and perhaps even go nuclear. Still, Kyiv's arsenal is definitely a match for Moscow's. We look at the most effective long-range weapons supplied to Ukraine by the West.

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