Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- A Thai appeals court ruled Friday that suspected international arms dealer Viktor Bout can be extradited to the United States.
The court ruled that the extradition process must be completed within three months, otherwise Bout will be released.
Bout, a former Soviet military officer, was shackled in chains during the hearing. His wife and daughter were also in the courtroom. After the ruling, they stood up and cried.
Friday's ruling came after heavy lobbying from U.S. officials.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the Thai appeals court's ruling as an "unlawful, political decision" that was "taken under a very strong pressure from the outside," state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported.
"I can assure you that we'll do everything necessary for his return to his home country," Lavrov told reporters, according to RIA Novosti.
Bout has been indicted by U.S. federal authorities on a series of charges, including counts of illegally purchasing U.S. cargo planes to ferry weapons to warring parties and regimes in Africa and the Middle East.
Thai courts had previously balked at extraditing Bout to the United States on the basis of the original charges against him, which centered on his alleged efforts to send millions of dollars worth of weapons to arm guerrilla fighters in Colombia. Last year, a Thai court rejected the U.S. government's request for extradition. CNN
