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Russian pilot Yaroshenko’s health declining, says wife

The medical care that was promised — a set of tests, some other measures — had not been provided so far

ROSTOV-ON-DON, October 1. /TASS/.Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko’s health is declining, and he is not receiving appropriate medical care, his wife Viktoria Yaroshenko told TASS on Monday. The aviator is currently serving a 20-year jail term in the US prison of Danbury, Connecticut.

Earlier, Victoria stated that the pilot has issues with his stomach and teeth because of the torture he had endured in Liberia.

"He isn’t receiving any medical assistance, and his health is becoming worse and worse. We took him to see a doctor. The medical care that was promised, a set of tests, some other measures - he has received none of it so far," she pointed out.

The pilot’s wife added that currently, they are seeking the return of Yaroshenko’s personal belongings that had been seized when he was detained. "I have called the lawyer and said that we should sue for the loss and material damage. However, he told me that the deputy attorney had contacted him personally and said that this issue was under control, that they were looking for his things. I asked to specify how long it would take to find them," Viktoria added.

She also said that in September, the pilot’s sister Yelena had died of cancer. She was also planning to visit the pilot, but could not travel due to health reasons. "It happened last week, she passed away on Saturday," Viktoria said, adding that they had notified Yaroshenko of his sister’s death. Last May, Yaroshenko’s mother Lyubov also passed away.

Viktoria Yaroshenko and her daughter flew to the United States in August for a meeting with their husband and father. They visited Yaroshenko in prison in Danbury, Connecticut 12 times. His first meeting with his wife and daughter in seven years took place on August 24 and lasted for about eight hours. On September 11, the pilot’s family returned to Russia.

Yaroshenko’s case

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 set-up. Yaroshenko was whisked away to the United States from Liberia, where he was arrested on May 28, 2010. Agents of the US Drug Enforcement Administration allegedly exposed Yaroshenko’s criminal intent to transport a large batch of cocaine.

Until recently, Yaroshenko had been serving out his sentence at the Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution (New Jersey), 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.

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