Yaroshenko's Wife Hopes for Pilot's Release Before End of US Presidential Run

Konstantin Yaroshenko, the Russian pilot jailed in Illinois, should be saved and delivered to his home country before the end of the presidential campaigns in the United States in early November, the pilot's wife told Sputnik on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik), Alexander Mosesov — Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Ministry Human Rights Ombudsman Konstantin Dolgov said the United States lacks the political will to exchange Russian nationals Konstantin Yaroshenko and Viktor Bout for US prisoners detained in Russia.

"I think we [Russia] should save him [Konstantin Yaroshenko from US detention] before the US presidential campaigns are over," Viktoriya Yaroshenko said.

Yaroshenko's wife also repeated her plea to Russian President Vladimir Putin to help Yaroshenko return to Russia. The comments follow a recent statement by the convicted pilot, in which he described the legal system in United States as "corrupt."

On Wednesday, Yaroshenko's attorney Alexei Tarasov told Sputnik that the pilot welcomes a potential prisoner swap with the United States that would result in his return to Russia.

Yaroshenko was sentenced to 20 years in prison for allegedly conspiring to import more than $100 million worth of cocaine into the United States, having been arrested in Liberia in 2010 and subsequently extradited to the United States. The Russian authorities have repeatedly expressed concern over the circumstances of the pilot's arrest and the poor conditions of his detention.