NEW YORK, November 30. /TASS/. Russian diplomats have visited Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who is serving a 20-year sentence in a US jail, the Russian Consulate General in New York said on its Facebook page.
According to the statement, the visit was carried out in connection with reports that Yaroshenko’s health has deteriorated.
"The Russian citizen described his health as satisfactory. He once again stressed that the prison’s dentist had no equipment for the treatment and prosthetic dentistry that he required. Instead, the extraction of affected teeth was suggested," Russian diplomats said, adding that Yaroshenko had "other complaints of medical nature as well."
"Konstantin Yaroshenko’s numerous requests for treatment at other healthcare facilities have so far not been granted," the statement reads. "We keep an eye on the situation and will continue rendering all necessary consular assistance to the Russian citizen."
Konstantin Yaroshenko was convicted in the United States in September 2011 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The pilot was clandestinely transferred to the United States from Liberia, where he had been arrested in May 2010. Agents of the US Drug Enforcement Administration operating under cover allegedly exposed Yaroshenko’s criminal intention to transport a large batch of cocaine. He pleaded innocent, described his arrest as a set-up and said all charges against him were fabricated.
Until recently, Yaroshenko had been serving out his sentence at the Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution, but in mid-June he was first transferred to a transit prison in Brooklyn, New York, and then to the current Danbury prison, which holds more than 1,400 inmates.
Russia has repeatedly requested the United States to extradite Yaroshenko.