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Wife of jailed Russian pilot Yaroshenko says letter to Trump is ‘last hope’

Russian pilot Yaroshenko was sentenced to 20 years in jail in the United States on September 7, 2011

Viktoria Yaroshenko Artiom Geodakyan/TASS

Viktoria Yaroshenko

© Artiom Geodakyan/TASS

ROSTOV-ON-DON, July 5. /TASS/. A letter to US President Donald Trump from Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in the United States, is the last hope for the jailed Russian citizen to reunite with his family, Yaroshenko’s wife Viktoria told TASS on Wednesday.

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Russian daily Izvestia reported earlier in the day citing Yaroshenko that the jailed pilot wrote a letter directly to President Trump asking him to be returned to Russia. According to the daily, the letter was submitted with the White House via the Russian Embassy in the United States on the 4th of July this year.

"This letter is our last hope and the cry of the heart since he decided to turn directly to the president of the United States," Viktoria said in an interview with TASS. "He (Konstantin Yaroshenko) is asking President Trump whether to pardon him or to transfer him under an international convention."

According to her, the whole family of the pilot is anticipating a reaction on behalf of the US president.

"I dearly hope that our letters would not remain unanswered and Mr. Trump would respond," Viktoria said. "It goes both for this letter and the letter from Lyubov Mikhailovna (Yaroshenko’s mother, who passed away this spring)."

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Family of jailed Russian pilot vows to fight on for his release

"I believe that given the current circumstances, the US president is the most powerful instance," Yaroshenko’s wife added.

Russian pilot Yaroshenko was sentenced to 20 years in jail in the United States on September 7, 2011. He had been brought to the United States from Liberia after being arrested on May 28, 2010. Agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration operating in disguise allegedly exposed his criminal intentions to transport a large batch of cocaine.

Yaroshenko underwent a surgery last year, but proper post-operation treatment was denied to him.

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