American Trevor Reed Exchanged for Russian Pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko

Russian Konstantin Yaroshenko has successfully been exchanged for imprisoned American citizen Trevor Reed, as reported by the Russian Foreign Ministry, citing RIA Novosti.

"As a result of a prolonged negotiation process, on April 27, 2022, Trevor Reed was exchanged for Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison by an American court in 2010," the ministry stated.

Reed has been transferred to Vnukovo Airport, from where he has departed for the United States.

Yaroshenko, who was found guilty by an American court for illegal drug trafficking, was arrested in May 2010 in Liberia and transferred to the U.S. It has been noted that the U.S. mission did not inform the Russian consulate about this.

Yaroshenko has stated that after his arrest in Liberia, he was tortured, beaten, deprived of sleep, and subjected to starvation. During the trial, Yaroshenko did not plead guilty.