The Biden administration decided to free convicted and notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for WNBA superstar Brittney Griner, who had been detained in Russia since last February on drug charges, sparking concerns about the next steps.

Bout, who sold significant numbers of illicit weapons to rival factions in various African nations in violation of several United Nations embargoes for decades, was arrested in 2008, was serving a 25-year sentence in a U.S. prison, and was not set to be released until 2029.