MOSCOW, November 12 /TASS/. Russian diplomats will use all legal means to return Russian national Konstantin Yaroshenko who is serving a sentence in a US prison to Russia, Konstantin Dolgov, Russian Foreign Ministry Ombudsman for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 TV news channel on Thursday.

"We assure you we are going to use all the existing legal means and channels. We hope there is a prospect for (Yaroshenko’s eventual return home), and that the outcome is going to be positive. But I do not want to run ahead," Dolgov said adding that Russian consular workers in the United States were in constant contact with Yaroshenko and his lawyers.

"The information we have is extremely alarming: it appears that his chronic diseases have exacerbated. He (Yaroshenko) acquired most of them when he was under investigation in a US prison," Dolgov said adding that Yaroshenko’s verdict had been politicized.

Previous reports said that Dolgov had informed Lynn Tracy, deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Moscow, about Yaroshenko’s deteriorating health. The Russian is serving a prison term in the Fort Dix federal prison.

Yaroshenko was arrested in Liberia on May 28, 2010 for allegedly intending to transport a large shipment of cocaine. He faced trial in the United States where he was convicted on September 7, 2011.