ROSTOV-ON-DON. March 13 (Interfax) - Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment in the United States, has once again sent a request to the Russian ambassador in the U.S. to be moved to another prison because his incarceration conditions have not improved after his transfer to another cell, his wife Victoria Yaroshenko said.
"He sent a request once again in hope of being moved to another prison, where he would receive at least some medical assistance. He hoped his incarceration conditions would improve after his transfer to another cell, but nothing has changed. His health issues remain at the same level," Yaroshenko said.
She said the Yaroshenko family's visas expire in July and they will apply for new ones to visit the pilot in the U.S. again.
"We will try to get a visa again, but I hope it won't be necessary by July and Konstantin will be extradited to spend the remainder of his sentence in Russia," she said.
Yaroshenko was arrested in Liberia on May 28, 2010 on charges of preparing to transport a large batch of cocaine. He was deported to the U.S. On September 7, 2011, a U.S. court sentenced him to 20 years in prison.
Yaroshenko had been held in the Fort Dix prison in the state of New Jersey for several years, but was transferred in June 2018, allegedly because of rows with other inmates. He is now being held in the Danbury correctional facility in the state of Connecticut.