The extradition of Russian alleged arms dealer Viktor Bout to the United States shows that Moscow did not do enough to protect him and that Russia's foreign policy has failed, Bout's wife said in an interview with Kommersant daily on Wednesday.
"This is a failure of Russia's foreign policy," Alla Bout said.
"The extradition has shown that Russia plays no role in the region, that the United States is stronger and that the United States does whatever it wants to throughout the world."
The extradition also shows that Russian nationals "cannot count on help from their own state in a difficult situation," she said.
Viktor Burobin, Bout's Russian lawyer, said his client's case has not only damaged Russia's image but also set a serious international precedent that "threatens the security of an entire category of its citizens."
"With the Bout case, America has expanded its jurisdiction and now considers it possible to prosecute foreign nationals on the territory of third countries," he said.
Bout, who was arrested in Thailand in March 2008 during a sting operation led by U.S. agents, was extradited from Thailand to the United States on Tuesday and is expected to appear in court later today.
The United States accuses Bout of conspiring to sell millions of dollars' worth of weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), among other illegal arms deals. Bout denies all the charges.
MOSCOW, November 17 (RIA Novosti)
