MOSCOW, April 27. /TASS/. Russia and the US exchanged convicts Trevor Reed and Konstantin Yaroshenko Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry told TASS.
"As a result of the long negotiations process, US citizen Trevor Rowdy Reed, previously convicted in the Russian Federation, was exchanged on April 27, 2022 for Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko, sentenced to 20 years in prison by an American court in 2010," the Ministry said.
Konstantin Yaroshenko’s case
Konstantin Yaroshenko is the owner of Rostavia (established in 1998). On May 28, 2010, he was arrested in Liberia by US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents in cooperation with local police, and was later covertly transported to the US. This was the first time a Russian citizen was kidnapped by US intelligence agencies in a third country, followed by a relocation to the US. He was accused of organizing an international cocaine smuggling ring.
On July 19, 2020, Russia sent a note to the US Department of State, accusing US intelligence agencies of kidnapping and violation of the 1963 Vienna Convention on consular relations and the bilateral consular convention. These documents state that member states must be informed about arrest of their citizens in third countries. Later, US Department of State Philip Crowley apologized, saying that Russia was not notified due to a technical mix-up. On September 7, 2011, Yaroshenko was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He completely rejected all allegations, called his arrest a provocation and his criminal case fabricated.
Later, Russia filed extradition requests for Yaroshenko but those requests were denied. In 2019, Moscow offered to exchange Yaroshenko for US citizen Paul Whelan, convicted in Russia for espionage, but no response followed. Later, Yaroshenko’s lawyer said that the Russian pilot has serious health issues. On April 19, 2022, the Danbury prison denied Yaroshenko free medication. Meanwhile, money transfer channel for procurement of medicine were blocked due to sanctions, his wife said. His wife said that Yaroshenko also faced psychological pressure from a number of prison guards over the special military operation in Ukraine.
Trevor Reed’s case
US student Trevor Reed was convicted in Russia for assaulting policemen. In August, 2019, he attacked policemen who arrived after local residents complained about an intoxicated man who started a quarrel with several women. When he was being transported to a police station in a car, Reed attacked the driver and his partner. The US citizen denied his guilt.
A Moscow court found him guilty of violence against a representative of the authority and sentenced him to 9 years in penal colony and a fine of 300,000 rubles in favor of the policemen. Later, Moscow City Court upheld the ruling.