‘Happy for Griner.But this creates an unpleasant precedent in the sense that it is already dangerous for any US citizen to visit Russia. They can make up any nonsense to keep them there,’ another person wrote<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In Russia, however, he’s seen as a swashbuckling businessman who was unjustly imprisoned after an overly aggressive US sting operation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Russia had pressed for Bout\u00b4s release for years and as speculation grew about such a deal, the upper house of parliament opened a display of paintings he made in prison – whose subjects ranged from Soviet dictator Josef Stalin to a kitten.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The show of his art underlined Bout’s complexities.Though in a bloody business, the 55-year-old was a vegetarian and classical music fan who is said to speak six languages.<\/p>\n

Even the former federal judge who sentenced him in 2011 thought his 11 years behind bars was adequate punishment.<\/p>\n

‘He\u00b4s done enough time for what he did in this case,’ Shira A.Scheindlin told The Associated Press in July as prospects for his release appeared to rise.<\/p>\n

Griner, who was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February after vape canisters containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage, was sentenced in August to nine years in prison.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Washington protested her sentence as disproportionate, and some observers suggested that trading an arms merchant for someone jailed for a small amount of drugs would be a poor deal.<\/p>\n

Bout was convicted in 2011 on terrorism charges.Prosecutors said he was ready to sell up to $20 million in weapons, including surface-to-air missiles to shoot down U.S. helicopters. When they made the claim at his 2012 sentencing, Bout shouted: ‘It’s a lie!’<\/p>\n