"I posted an urgent letter to the US president, and also sent an e-mail. I hope that a mother's pleas and tears will reach Obama. I'm hoping for a wise decision from the president. The judge passed the wrong verdict, a humane act by the president should fix it," Lyubov Yaroshenko told RIA Novosti, adding that her son's health was undermined.
In early August, Russian media reported, citing the Kremlin's response to Yaroshenko's mother's request, that Moscow was ready to exchange Yaroshenko and another Russian national Viktor Bout for US prisoners detained in Russia. On August 9, Russian Foreign Ministry Human Rights Ombudsman Konstantin Dolgov said the United States lacked the political will to do go through with such a plan.
The Russian authorities have repeatedly expressed concern over the circumstances of the pilot's arrest and the poor conditions of his detention.
