MOSCOW, May 7 (RAPSI) - The mother of Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was sentenced to 20 years in jail in the United States for involvement in conspiring to smuggle drugs, has asked the US authorities to exchange her son for any US citizen serving a sentence in Russia. 

The appeals hearing is scheduled for May 15, his mother Lyubov Yaroshenko told RIA Novosti. She mentioned "ongoing provocations," claiming that obstacles have been created for her son's new defense attorney in the United States, with new charges being brought against him over his connection with Russian businessman Viktor Bout, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for arms trafficking.

In April 2011, Yaroshenko was sentenced to 20 years in prison for colluding to smuggle cocaine into the United States. He was caught after replying to an advertisement posted by a group of DEA agents, who claimed that they were selling a cargo plane for $1.

Yaroshenko pleaded innocent during the trial. He said his poor English prevented him from understanding the nature of the deal with the DEA agents. He claimed that he did want to buy a cargo plane, but did not plan to use it to transport drugs.

Yaroshenko's sentencing was followed later the same year with the sentencing of Viktor Bout. After being arrested as part of a DEA sting in Thailand, Bout was convicted in November 2011 of conspiracy to murder US nationals, including military officers and employees, and to sell to FARC weapons worth millions of dollars, including hundreds of portable surface-to-air missiles and over 20,000 AK-47s.

The arrest and the prosecution of both men have damaged to the diplomatic ties between Russia and the United States. Earlier, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed to take all legal steps to ensure the repatriation of Bout and Yaroshenko.