Minggu, 11 Desember 2022

Ukraine war: Odesa and Melitopol under attack - BBC

Fire in Melitopol, 10 DecemberBalitskyEV

Southern Ukraine has been hit by strikes from both sides in the war, with Russia launching drones at Odesa and Ukraine fighting back in Melitopol.

The Ukrainian army said it shot down 10 drones on Saturday but another five had hit energy facilities, leaving some 1.5 million people without power.

Later on, the exiled mayor of Melitopol said a Ukrainian strike had been carried out on the Russia-held city.

Images shared by a Moscow-installed official there showed a big fire.

Russia's drone attack on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa saw Moscow fire Iran-made drones at key infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said.

"The situation in the Odesa region is very difficult," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address. "Unfortunately the hits were critical, so it takes more than just time to restore electricity. It doesn't take hours, but a few days."

Since October, Moscow has been targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure with large waves of missile and drone strikes.

In Melitopol, pro-Moscow authorities said a Ukrainian missile attack had killed two people and injured 10.

"Air defence systems destroyed two missiles, four reached their targets," Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russia-installed governor of the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region, said on the Telegram messaging app.

He added that a "recreation centre" where people were dining had been destroyed in the attack, and that Ukrainian forces had used US-supplied Himars rocket launchers.

This weapon has played a key role in Ukraine's counter-offensive, being used to target locations away from the frontlines, including Russia's command posts.

Ivan Fedorov, Melitopol's exiled mayor, said scores of "invaders" had been killed.

Melitopol has been under occupation since early March and is a major logistics hub for the Russian forces in the south-east.

The city, in the Zaporizhzhia region, is strategically located between Mariupol to the east, Kherson and the Dnipro River to the west, and Crimea to the south.

Ukraine says its efforts to retake occupied territory are continuing, despite the arrival of winter.

In recent weeks, most of the fighting has taken place in the east of the country, especially around the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.

But on Saturday night, Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to President Zelensky, indicated that Melitopol could be a main target of Ukrainian forces.

"If Melitopol falls, the entire defence line all the way to Kherson collapses," he said in an interview.

If that happened, he added, "Ukrainian forces would gain a direct route to Crimea," the peninsula Russia invaded and annexed in 2014 and that the Ukrainians have vowed to retake.

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2022-12-11 13:48:06Z
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European parliament hit by Qatar corruption scandal - Financial Times

A Belgian judge is expected on Sunday to announce formal charges for several people arrested in an alleged corruption scandal involving World Cup host Qatar and the European parliament.

Authorities seized €600,000 in cash and detained five people over the weekend in what appears to be one of the most significant corruption cases seen in the European parliament.

The allegations come as Qatar is the centre of world attention, with the World Cup semi-finals and final to be played over the next week. The matches are the culmination of a tournament that the Gulf state long sought but which has brought unprecedented scrutiny of its stance on gay rights, treatment of migrant workers and use of its wealth to bolster its role in the world.

While Belgian authorities have not named the suspects in the probe, European parliament vice-president Eva Kaili has been stripped of her duties in the parliament and of party membership by Greek socialist party Pasok.

A spokesman for European parliament president Roberta Metsola said in a statement: “In the light of the ongoing judicial investigations by Belgian authorities, President Metsola has decided to suspend with immediate effect all powers, duties and tasks that were delegated to Eva Kaili in her capacity as vice-president of the European parliament.”

Belgian authorities last week said that they were pursuing an investigation into “organised crime, corruption and money laundering”.

“For several months, investigators of the Federal Judicial Police have suspected a Gulf country of influencing economic and political decisions of the European parliament,” the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Friday.

“This is done by paying large sums of money or offering large gifts to third parties with a significant political and/or strategic position within the European parliament.” An official familiar with the investigation confirmed that the country in question was Qatar.

The news was first broken by Le Soir, the Belgian newspaper, which said those arrested also included a former MEP and a parliamentary assistant. Shortly after the news broke on Friday, Kaili was suspended both from her party Pasok and the Socialist group in the European parliament. The Financial Times was unable to reach Kaili on her mobile phone.

Kaili, a former TV news presenter, and member of the Greek parliament with centre-left Pasok, joined the EU legislature in 2014 and in November she defended Qatar’s human rights record. “Qatar is a frontrunner in labour rights, abolishing kafala [its migrant labour sponsorship system] . . . Still, some here are calling to discriminate [against] them. They bully them and they accuse everyone that talks to them or engages [in] corruption. But still, they take their gas.”

A Qatari official said on Sunday: “Qatar categorically rejects any attempts to associate it with accusations of misconduct. Any association of the Qatari government with the reported claims is baseless and gravely misinformed.”

“Qatar works through institution-to-institution engagement and operates in full compliance with international laws and regulations,” the official added.

The parliament was due to vote next week on granting Qatari nationals visa-free travel to the bloc. That has been suspended over the weekend in response to the detentions.

The Greens/EFA group in parliament said on Saturday it would have voted against the measure. Terry Reintke, co-president of the group, said there should be “zero tolerance against corruption and bribery”, adding that “if the suspicions are confirmed”, Kaili should resign as an MEP.

Transparency International, the anti-corruption group, said EU institutions needed an independent ethics regulator. “Over many decades, the parliament has allowed a culture of impunity to develop, with a combination of lax financial rules and controls and a complete lack of independent (or indeed any) ethics oversight,” said its director, former MEP Michiel van Hulten.

Additional reporting by Eleni Varvitsioti in Athens

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2022-12-11 10:28:48Z
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Sabtu, 10 Desember 2022

Ukraine war: NATO fears wider war, US alarm at Russia-Iran 'partnership', Putin pre-emptive strikes - Euronews

1. NATO head fears Ukraine could spark wider war

NATO's chief has expressed a worry that fighting in Ukraine could spiral out of control and become an all-out conflict between Russia and NATO, during an interview released on Friday.

“If things go wrong, they can go horribly wrong,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in remarks to Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

“It is a terrible war in Ukraine. It is also a war that can become a full-fledged war that spreads into a major war between NATO and Russia,” he said. “We are working on that every day to avoid that.”

Stoltenberg, a former prime minister of Norway, said in the interview that “there is no doubt that a full-fledged war is a possibility.”

He added that it was important to avoid a conflict "that involves more countries in Europe and becomes a full-fledged war in Europe.”

The Kremlin has repeatedly accused NATO allies of effectively becoming a party to the conflict by providing Ukraine with weapons, training its troops and feeding military intelligence to attack Russian forces.

Ukraine says it is fighting for freedom against an unwanted invader and aggressor.

2. US alarmed by Russia-Iran partnership

The White House issued a stark warning on Friday over the ever-deepening "military partnership" between Tehran and Moscow. 

It called the cooperation "large-scale", though Russia denied needing military support from anyone in Ukraine.

John Kirby, National Security Council spokesman, said Moscow had "offered Iran an unprecedented level of military and technical support", which "transforms their relationship into a full defence partnership".

He added that this development is "harmful" to Ukraine, Iran's neighbours and "the international community", while announcing sanctions against three Russian entities active in the purchase and distribution of Iranian drones. 

Moscow has been accused of using Iranian-made drones to cripple Ukraine's energy and water infrastructure, knocking out power and other crucial utilities for civilians over prolonged periods amid bleak winter conditions. 

Russia has denied using Iran's weaponry, though an Iranian official later said it had supplied weapons to Moscow before the Ukraine war broke out in February. 

According to US intelligence, Moscow and Tehran plan to launch joint production of "killer" drones in Russia, John Kirby said, without giving further details on the project.

The spokesman also said that Iran was considering whether to sell "hundreds" of ballistic missiles to Russia, information the US has already made public. 

But defence cooperation between the pair is not one-sided. 

Russia has provided Iranian security forces with training amid the country's violent crackdown of anti-government protests, according to reports by IranWire. 

“We are asking Iran to change course,” said Kirby, referring to the proposed missile sale and joint drone project. 

"We will use every means at our disposal to expose and disrupt these activities," he added. "We are ready to do more."

At a meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday afternoon, Russia again denied receiving weapons from Tehran. it did not mention the White House's accusations. 

"The Russian military-industrial complex is doing very well and does not need anyone's support," said Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia. He noted that Russia had "refuted" these accusations on "several occasions".

3. Putin says Russia may consider pre-emptive strike to disarm foes

Russia could inflict a preemptive strike to disarm an enemy, Vladimir Putin said on Friday.

The Russian President made the remark after being asked by a journalist in Kyrgyzstan to clarify his statement on the use of nuclear weapons from earlier this week. 

Days after warning that the risk of nuclear war was growing, Putin said Moscow was considering adopting what he called Washington's concept of a preemptive strike, a type of first attack that destroys an enemy's capacity to respond. 

On Wednesday, he assured reporters that Moscow would not be the first to deploy atomic weapons.

"First, the United States has developed the concept of a preemptive strike. Second, they are developing a strike system aimed at disarming [the enemy]", Putin told reporters following a visit to Bishkek, the Kyrgyzstan capital.

He added that Moscow should perhaps think about adopting the "ideas developed by the Americans to ensure their own security". 

"We're just thinking about it," he added.

The Russian president has repeatedly maintained that his country would not be the first to use nuclear weapons. 

"Russia wouldn't use them first under any circumstances," he claimed on Wednesday. 

"But if it doesn't use them first under any circumstances, it won't be the second to use them either, because the chances of using them in the event of a nuclear strike against our territory are very slim". 

The US State Department condemned these statements, saying "any discussion, however vague, of nuclear weapons is absolutely irresponsible."

The spectre of nuclear war has returned to international affairs after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, marking a step towards old Cold War politics. 

4. Lithuania to train Ukrainian battalion as part of EU mission

Lithuania is set to train a battalion of Ukrainian troops within the European Union’s new support mission for Ukraine, the country's Chief of Defence Valdemaras Rupšys said on Friday.

The mission -- led by Poland and Germany -- was launched in November, with some 15,000 Ukrainian troops expected to be trained.

“We will probably lead the training of one of the battalions,” Rupšys told reporters in Vilnius. He said Lithuania would do the teaching in Germany. 

Training will focus on combat, but Lithuania is also schooling  Ukrainian troops in fields such as mine clearance, engineering, mechanics and military-civilian cooperation.

Speaking in the Lithuanian capital yesterday, Robert Brieger, chairman of the EU Military Committee, said that 16 EU countries have already offered their support to train Ukrainian troops.

The UK has provided more military instruction than nearly any other country, putting nearly 6,000 Ukrainian civilians through basic training on British soil, while France has helped only a handful. 

Lithuania, along with Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand, have all sent military personnel to assist the UK's effort. 

Lithuania previously announced it would train around 1,500 Ukrainian troops in 2023. The Ukrainian battalion it mentioned on Friday, which would contain hundreds of soldiers, is part of this figure. 

However, the number of Ukrainian troops to be trained could grow. 

“We are very flexible and always respond quickly to requests from the Ukrainian military or political leadership, and we quickly organise necessary training for them,” Rupšys said.

5. Belarus drops conditions to Ukraine grain exports

Belarus told the United Nations on Friday that it would allow, without any conditions, the transit of grain from Ukraine through its territory to Lithuanian ports, according to a UN spokesperson. 

Belarus -- used by its ally Russia as a staging ground for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine -- said in June that it would only let Ukrainian grain go via the country to Baltic Sea ports, if Belarus was allowed to ship its goods from the ports as well. 

Ukraine did not agree to the proposal.

Belarus Deputy Foreign Minister Yury Ambrazevich met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Friday to tell him that there are now no longer any preconditions to the transit of Ukraine grain, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Ambrazevich also "reiterated the requests from his government to be able export its own fertiliser products, which are currently subject to sanctions," according to the UN spokesman. 

Belarus, a major global potash producer, has been hit by harsh Western sanctions in 2021-2022 which disrupted its exports of the fertiliser via ports on the Baltic Sea. 

In July, the UN and Turkey brokered a deal with Russia and Ukraine to resume Ukraine's Black Sea shipments of grain - stalled since the start of the war - and to facilitate Russia's food and fertilizer shipments.

The UN is still working to resume Russian ammonia exports, a key fertiliser ingredient, via a pipeline to a Black Sea port in Ukraine.

The UN has said Russia's war in Ukraine worsened a global food crisis, pushing some 47 million people into "acute hunger".

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2022-12-10 12:16:55Z
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Police evacuate Dresden shopping mall over hostage situation - Sky News

Police have evacuated a shopping mall and the surrounding area in the eastern German city of Dresden after ending a hostage situation.

In a statement posted to Twitter, police confirmed that the hostage situation is over, with two apparently unharmed individuals in their care, after shots were reportedly fired.

It was not immediately clear if a suspect had been arrested.

Radio Dresden reported that police spokesman Thomas Geithner gave an official press statement on the operation.

The radio reported: "According to Geithner, the man is mentally ill. Appropriate experts were therefore consulted. The man should be persuaded to give up voluntarily and end the situation."

Police separately confirmed that a 62-year-old woman had been found dead in an apartment building in Prohlis, Dresden on Saturday. Her 40-year-old son was named as a suspect.

News outlet TAG24, reported that police said the hostage-taking at the Altmarkt-Galerie shopping mall was related to the killing, but declined to provide further details.

More on Germany

On its website, Radio Dresden said that an armed man had entered the Ammonhof office building, where the broadcaster is located, around 8.30am local time (07.30 GMT) and that shots had been fired.

Saxony, Dresden: Police cordoned off the Altmarktgalerie after a hostage situation. Photo by: J'rg Schurig/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images

This closure of the city centre is now lifted, with police saying the incident is "no longer a dangerous situation". But the Altmarkt-Galerie shopping mall remains closed.

Shortly after 11.30am local time, police confirmed that they were in contact with the perpetrator, with a negotiating group on site.

The incident comes as security has shifted into focus in Germany, after investigators earlier this week foiled a
far-right plot to overthrow the German government and install an aristocrat as the leader of a new state.

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2022-12-10 11:20:43Z
1693513959

Ukraine war: US says Iran now Russia's 'top military backer' - BBC

A view of drones during a military exercise in an undisclosed location in IranReuters

Russia and Iran's relationship has warmed to a fully fledged defence partnership, the US has said.

Russia is giving an unprecedented level of military support, said US national security council spokesman John Kirby.

The US has seen reports that the two countries are considering joint production of lethal drones, he added.

Australia has announced it is sanctioning three Iranians and one Iranian business for supplying Russia with drones to use against Ukraine.

Co-operation between Russia and Iran has been highlighted recently, with Ukraine accusing Russia of using Iranian drones in its attacks.

After initially denying sending any drones to Russia, the Middle Eastern country later admitted it had supplied some before the invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Kirby said that a partnership between Iran and Russia to produce drones would be harmful to Ukraine, Iran's neighbours and the international community.

"Russia is seeking to collaborate with Iran in areas like weapons development, training," he said, adding that the US fears that Russia intended to "provide Iran with advanced military components" including helicopters and air defence systems.

"Iran has become Russia's top military backer..." he said. "Russia's been using Iranian drones to strike energy infrastructure, depriving millions of Ukrainians of power, heat, critical services. People in Ukraine today are actually dying as a result of Iran's actions."

In response to Mr Kirby's comments, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that Iran had become one of Russia's main military supporters and that the relationship between them was threatening global security.

The "sordid deals" between the two countries have seen Iran send hundreds of drones to Russia, he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in July.
Getty Images

"In return, Russia is offering military and technical support to the Iranian regime, which will increase the risk it poses to our partners in the Middle East and to international security," he added.

He said the UK agreed with the US that Iranian support for the Russian military would grow in the coming months as Russia tried to get hold of more weapons, including hundreds of ballistic missiles.

Ukraine accused Iran of supplying Russia with "kamikaze" drones used in a series of attacks which killed at least eight people on 17 October.

After denying this, Iran later admitted sending a "limited number" of drones to Russia, "many months" before the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said this was a lie and that Ukraine was shooting down about 10 Iranian drones a day.

Firefighters put out a blaze at a residential building hit by a Russian military strike in Bakhmut
Reuters

On Saturday, Penny Wong, Australia's foreign minister, said in a statement: "The supply of drones to Russia is evidence of the role Iran plays in destabilising global security. This listing highlights that those who provide material support to Russia will face consequences."

She also announced measures against 19 other people and two entities, including Iran's Morality Police, for the brutal treatment of anti-government protestors following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody earlier this year.

In other developments:

  • Russia has turned the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut into "burnt ruins", President Zelensky says, following months of deadly fighting in the eastern Donbas region
  • The United Nations says Belarus will allow the transit of Ukrainian grain through its territory for export from Lithuanian ports
  • The head of a Ukrainian human rights organisation that was jointly awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize - Oleksandra Matviichuk of the Centre for Civil Liberties - has called on nations to set up an international tribunal to try Russian President Vladimir Putin for Russia's war in Ukraine
  • The International Olympic Committee says it will explore a proposal to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in sporting events in Asia - despite an international ban

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2022-12-10 04:42:52Z
1692719611

World Cup 2022: US sports journalist Grant Wahl dies in Qatar - BBC

Grant Wahl works in the FIFA media centre in NovemberGetty Images

A prominent football journalist from the United States has died while covering the World Cup in Qatar.

Grant Wahl, 48, collapsed as extra time began in the Argentina-Netherlands game on Friday night.

Early reports suggest he may have had a heart attack, but this has yet to be officially confirmed.

Last month Mr Wahl was briefly detained by Qatari authorities for trying to enter a stadium wearing a rainbow shirt, in support of LGBT rights.

"Fans of soccer and journalism of the highest quality knew we could always count on Grant to deliver insightful and entertaining stories about our game, and its major protagonists," it said.

In a tweet, Mr Wahl's wife, Céline Gounder, said she was in "complete shock", adding that she was "so thankful" for the support she had received from friends.

Mr Wahl celebrated his 48th birthday on Thursday with friends in Qatar, a day before he collapsed. He wrote on his website on Monday that he had been unwell in the last 10 days and was on a course of antibiotics for suspected bronchitis.

"My body finally broke down on me," he wrote. "What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort.

"I didn't have Covid (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic and the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis."

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Mr Wahl's love for football was "immense", adding that his reporting would be "missed by all who follow the global game".

Tributes have poured in from several UK journalists. Piers Morgan described Mr Wahl as a "brilliant journalist", while the Times' Henry Winter said he was a "fine man" and "giant of the press box".

BBC Sport's Dan Roan tweeted: "Grant Wahl was a renowned and hugely respected journalist and the flood of tributes is testament to the esteem in which he was held."

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber tweeted: "We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken over the tragic passing of Grant Wahl. He was a kind and caring person whose passion for soccer and dedication to journalism were immeasurable."

US tennis icon Billie Jean King also paid tribute to Mr Wahl, describing him as an "advocate for the LGBTQ community and a prominent voice for women's soccer".

A spokesperson for the Qatari body responsible for planning the World Cup, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, said: "We are deeply saddened by the death of the US journalist Grant Wahl.

"Grant was known for his enormous love of football and was in Qatar to cover his eighth Fifa World Cup.

"He fell ill in the Lusail Stadium media tribune, during last night's quarter-final match between Argentina v Netherlands. He received immediate emergency medical treatment on site, which continued as he was transferred by ambulance to Hamad General Hospital.

"We are in touch with the US Embassy and relevant local authorities to ensure the process of repatriating the body is in accordance with the family's wishes."

Earlier this week, Mr Wahl was presented with an award by Brazilian football legend Ronaldo for reporting on eight consecutive World Cups - his first was in the US in 1994.

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2022-12-10 08:28:47Z
1693086595

Jumat, 09 Desember 2022

Brittney Griner lands in US after prisoner swap with Russia - BBC

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Ten months after she left the US to play basketball in Russia, WNBA star Brittney Griner has landed in her home state of Texas.

Griner was jailed for carrying cannabis oil at a Moscow airport in February, and was exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout on Thursday.

The pair were seen crossing on the tarmac at Abu Dhabi airport.

President Joe Biden said Griner was "in good spirits" and needed "time and space to recover".

She was flown to San Antonio, near her hometown of Houston, where she will be offered medical care after her time in a Russian penal colony.

Her wife, Cherelle Griner, who attended Mr Biden's announcement at the White House on Thursday, was expected to meet her there.

"Brittney has had to endure an unimaginable situation and we're thrilled that she is on her way home to her family and friends," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement about her return.

President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary Antony Blinken, and Cherelle Griner speak on the phone with WNBA star Brittney Griner
The White House

Griner was arrested in February - just days before Russia invaded Ukraine.

She is one of the best-known sportswomen in America. During the US basketball season the double Olympic champion was a star centre for Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA.

Her reason for flying to Moscow was to play in Russia during the off-season in the US. During her trial in Russia, she said the cannabis oil found in her bag had been an "honest mistake".

The Biden administration proposed a prisoner exchange in July, aware that Moscow had long sought the release of Bout, a convicted arms trafficker known as the Merchant of Death. He has been held in an American prison for 12 years.

Footage on Russian state media showed them crossing on the tarmac with their respective teams. In the video, apparently provided by Russian security services, Bout was warmly greeted by two Russian officials as Griner, who is 6ft 9in (206cm), looks on. Part of the swap was then edited out, before showing the two parties going their separate ways.

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"The Russian citizen has been returned to his homeland," the Moscow foreign ministry said in a statement.

Live television in Russia showed Bout arriving in Moscow. Pictures showed him hugging his mother and wife at the airport tarmac.

"I made it. That's the main thing," he told reporters at the airport.

"In the middle of the night they simply woke me up and said 'Get your things together,'" he added.

Griner, who turned 32 in October, will be welcomed in Houston with a light show, the city's Mayor Sylvester Turner said.

It is unclear how long she will remain in San Antonio before travelling to Houston, which is around 200 miles (320km) to the east.

An unnamed US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Griner was expected to receive treatment at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.

It is thought she will join the Department of Defense programme known as Pisa (Post Isolation Support Activities), which is reportedly designed to help former detainees adapt back to normal life.

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On Thursday, state department spokesman Ned Price said the government would speak to Griner about what she needs.

"She may seek the assistance that the US is going to provide, and we are going to make all of that available to her," he told MSNBC.

Several Republicans criticised the White House for agreeing to the deal.

"What a 'stupid' and unpatriotic embarrassment for the USA!!!" former President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social website.

"This is a gift to Vladimir Putin, and it endangers American lives."

And Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger - a high profile critic of Mr Trump's - wrote on Twitter that the Biden administration had shown "weakness" by agreeing to release Bout.

Viktor Bout arriving in Russia
Reuters

The swap involved two private planes bringing Bout and Griner to Abu Dhabi airport from Moscow and Washington, before flying them home.

When negotiations began to secure Griner's release during the summer, the US said it had made clear it wanted ex-Marine Paul Whelan to be included in an exchange.

But Whelan, jailed in 2018 on suspicion of spying, was not included in the Russian swap, dashing his family's hopes.

In a phone call from the penal colony where he is being held, Whelan told CNN he was "greatly disappointed" more had not been done to free him, as he said he had carried out no crime.

"I don't understand why I'm still sitting here," he said. "I was led to believe that things were moving in the right direction, and that the governments were negotiating and that something would happen fairly soon."

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, who is expected to become the next Speaker of the House of Representatives wrote on Twitter that failing to secure Mr Whelan's release as part of the deal was "unconscionable".

Viktor Bout sold arms to warlords and rogue governments, becoming one of the world's most wanted men. His exploits inspired the 2005 Hollywood film Lord of War.

His secretive career was brought to an end by an elaborate US sting in 2008, when he was arrested at a hotel in the Thai capital Bangkok, to the anger of the Russian government.

He was extradited two years later and has spent the past 12 years in an American jail for conspiring to support terrorists and kill Americans.

Footage released by Russian state media showed him disembarking from his flight carrying a bouquet of flowers before embracing his mother and his wife.

Speaking after her husband's return home, Bout's wife Alla told the state news agency Tass that her husband was well-fed and "treated very nobly" during the prisoner swap.

"He was not shackled, not handcuffed, he was treated very generously," she said.

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2022-12-09 10:38:14Z
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