STORY: Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer freed last December in a prisoner swap for U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner…

has now been chosen as the candidate of a far-right party for a seat in a Russian regional legislature.

That’s according to state news agency RIA on Sunday.

Once dubbed "the merchant of death" by the United States, Bout served 10 years of a 25-year sentence in U.S. prisons on arms dealing charges until his release in the prisoner exchange with Olympic gold medalist Griner.

Bout was arrested by U.S. agents during a sting in Thailand in 2008.

The U.S. Department of Justice described him as one of the world's most prolific arms dealers, who had sold weapons across the globe to terrorists and America's enemies for decades.

His notoriety was part of the inspiration behind the 2005 Hollywood film, "Lord of War."

Bout always denied the charges.

RIA cited a local official in Russia's Liberal Democratic Party, or LDPR, as saying that Bout had been nominated as a candidate for the legislative assembly of the Ulyanovsk region in central Russia.

Bout publicly joined the LDPR following his return to the country.

Despite its name, the LDPR holds far-right, ultra-nationalist views and strongly supports President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

As for Griner, she was sentenced in 2022 to nine years in a penal colony for possessing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil - which is banned in Russia.

Griner has since resumed her sports career after being freed in the swap with Bout.