Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko’s lawyer, Alexey Tarasov, described his client’s exchange for American Trevor Reed, who was convicted in Russia, as an Easter miracle in his comments to the Izvestia newspaper.
Tarasov emphasized that the exchange occurred in a third country and that Yaroshenko was already on his way home. “This agreement between the two countries had been under negotiation for a long time. We anticipated it happening around the middle of this week, and it was expected. However, there was no absolute certainty until the last moment that it would indeed take place. This is a miracle, an Easter miracle, especially since it coincided with the end of Orthodox Easter. Konstantin was overjoyed; I spoke with him right up until he departed, before left the U.S.,” Tarasov said.
He noted that Yaroshenko had not been to his homeland for 12 years and sometimes lost hope during his imprisonment. Tarasov suggested that Yaroshenko might receive a pardon or have his sentence commuted, but he hadn’t yet seen a decree from U.S. President Joe Biden, so the charges against the Russian may not have been formally dropped.
The Russian Foreign Ministry had reported earlier that day about the long-negotiated exchange of Reed for Yaroshenko.
Victoria Yaroshenko, the pilot’s wife, told Izvestia that Yaroshenko was already in Sochi. She had been informed about her husband’s forthcoming exchange for Reed before Easter.
Yaroshenko was arrested in Liberia in May 2010 by U.S. law enforcement on charges of plotting to transport a large quantity of cocaine. He was later extradited to the United States, where he was sentenced to 20 years in prison on September 7, 2011. Yaroshenko maintained his innocence, calling the case fabricated.
Reed was convicted under Part 2 of Article 318 of the Russian Criminal Code (“Use of violence dangerous to life or health against a government official”) in the summer of 2020. He was sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to pay 300,000 rubles to the two victims. On June 28, 2021, the Moscow City Court upheld the sentence as lawful.
The incident involving Reed occurred in Moscow in August 2019. Police were called after a report of a man causing a disturbance on Leningradskoe Highway. Reed later attacked police officers.
Source: Izvestia, April 27, 2022
Yaroshenko’s Lawyer Called the Exchange of his Client for the American Trevor Reed a Miracle
