On January 21, Yaroshenko underwent an unscheduled surgery in a Trenton, New Jersey hospital after repeatedly complaining of health problems. Since the surgery, Yaroshenko’s attorney Alexey Tarasov has claimed that the pilot did not receive post-operative medication in due time because US prison officials had denied the request.
On Thursday, representatives of the Consulate-General of Russia in New York City visited Yaroshenko in prison. During the visit, the pilot told the representatives that he was "feeling a lot better and was recovering," a consulate spokesperson told RIA Novosti.
On Wednesday, Tarasov told RIA Novosti that Yaroshenko had finally started receiving basic medication. The attorney last spoke to Yaroshenko on Tuesday.
Yaroshenko was detained in Liberia in 2010 during a US sting operation conducted in West Africa, and was transferred to the United States. The US authorities sentenced him to 20 years in prison on charges of smuggling cocaine.
Russian authorities have repeatedly expressed concern over the circumstances of Yaroshenko's arrest and the poor conditions of his detention.
Yaroshenko started complaining of health problems in February 2014.
