WASHINGTON, September 27. /TASS/. Russian diplomats paid a consular visit to Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko in a prison facility in Danbury, Connecticut, and urged the US authorities to provide medical assistance to him and other Russians in US prisons, the Russian diplomatic mission wrote on Facebook.

"Senior diplomats of the Embassy paid a consular visit to Konstantin Yaroshenko, who has been deprived of his right for qualified medical assistance in prison. We assured our compatriot that we will continue to strive for the observance of his rights and legitimate interests," the statement said.

"We proceed from the assumption that all responsibility for the life and health of Russian citizens held in US penitentiary institutions rests with the American side. We call on the local authorities to provide the Russians with the necessary medical care," the diplomatic mission wrote.

Yaroshenko was arrested in Liberia in May 2010, and in September 2011, he was found guilty of conspiring to smuggle a major cocaine shipment into the US, and sentenced to 20 years behind bars. However, Yaroshenko pleaded not guilty, saying that his arrest was a setup and the case was fabricated.