Jailed Russian pilot Yaroshenko may have suffered mild stroke

NEW YORK, February 28. /TASS/. Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who is currently serving a prison sentence in the US, told Russian diplomats that he might have suffered a mild stroke, the Russian embassy in the US informed on Facebook. The staff of the prison in the US city of Danbury (Connecticut) has not provided him with adequate medical aid, the embassy added.

"Konstantin Yaroshenko told our diplomats over the phone that the prison’s medical personnel had not provided him with any medical assistance. The health condition of our compatriot is worsening. Konstantin does not rule out that he may have had a mild stroke," the diplomats noted. "It is astonishing that in these conditions, our multiple requests have been ignored," the statement stressed. "The Russian national was told to wait one or two weeks for a doctor. It seems that the fact that he is able to move on his own serves as a sign to the prison administration that he does not require urgent care."

The embassy highlighted that such an approach is unacceptable and is a blatant human rights violation. Russian diplomats expect a response to the note sent to the US Department of State on February 26 demanding that Yaroshenko receive urgent medical care.

"We are disappointed with the deafening silence of human rights organizations. We have asked for help and support. No one responded," the statement reads.

Konstantin Yaroshenko was convicted in the United States on September 7, 2011 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He pled not guilty and described his arrest as a provocation and the whole case as a frame-up. Yaroshenko was brought to the United States from Liberia, where he was detained on May 28, 2010. Agents of the US Drug Enforcement Administration allegedly exposed Yaroshenko’s criminal intent to transport a large batch of cocaine.

The Russian authorities and the pilot’s family in Rostov-on-Don have repeatedly pled with the United States for Yaroshenko’s handover to Russia.