NEW YORK, May 31. /TASS/. The wife and daughter of the Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who is serving time in prison in the city of Danbury (Connecticut), sent a petition for his pardon to US President Joe Biden, Yaroshenko’s lawyer Alexey Tarasov confirmed to TASS.

He noted, "the letter was sent ... to US President Biden, and a copy of the letter was also addressed to [US Secretary of State Antony] Blinken." According to Tarasov, the documents were sent on Saturday.

"This is just a letter on the account of the pardon of Konstantin Yaroshenko, this is not an offer for an exchange," the lawyer said. According to him, the request to release the Russian "is based on humanitarian reasons." As stated by Tarasov, the letter, in particular, emphasizes that Yaroshenko "suffers from a number of diseases, he cannot regularly see his relatives." Tarasov noted that the letter was signed by Yaroshenko's wife and his daughter.

Yaroshenko was sentenced in the United States on September 7, 2011, to 20 years in prison. He denies being guilty, considers his arrest a provocation, and the case - fabricated. The pilot was brought to the United States from Liberia, where he was arrested on May 28, 2010.