Russia expects Viktor Bout to appeal his conviction in the United States on charges of illegal arms dealing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday.
“We will see how the situation develops,” he told journalists in Moscow. “We expect [Bout’s appeal] to be filed within the established period.”
On Wednesday, the jury in the Federal District Court of New York unanimously agreed that former Russian army officer Bout was guilty of conspiracy to kill U.S. officials and citizens, to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles and to provide support to terrorists.
Bout's sentence is expected to be announced on February 8. He could receive a life sentence.
Bout was arrested in Thailand in March 2008 during a sting operation led by U.S. agents and extradited to the United States in November 2010 after spending more than two and half years in Thai prisons.
Following Bout’s conviction by the jury, Lukashevich said Moscow would push for his return to Russia. The guilty verdict against Bout, which Lukashevich said was made under unprecedented pressure from Washington, “puts into question the grounds for the accusation and the justice of the court’s decision.”
