MOSCOW, June 15 - RAPSI. Russia is currently considering various options to extradite Russian citizens Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko from the United States, where they have been sentenced to long prison terms, the Foreign Ministry reported on Friday.

"There are various legal procedures, but first and foremost, a strong political will is required to bring the Russians back. We need to make sure that the United States is ready for this decision," the Foreign Ministry's representative said.

Bout was sentenced to 25 years in prison by the New York Federal Court for planning to sell arms to the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces. He has denied the charges against him.

Yaroshenko was sentenced to 20 years in prison for colluding in the smuggling of a cocaine shipment to the United States. He also maintains his innocence.