Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, has criticized Washington for pursuing and arresting Russian citizens in third countries, calling it an unacceptable practice that violates international law. Antonov expressed Moscow’s desire to repatriate all Russians held in American prisons.
Antonov said that the United States does not stop hunting for Russians in third countries, and often uses political pressure and blackmail to force other states to extradite them. He cited the cases of Konstantin Yaroshenko, Viktor Bout, Roman Seleznev, and Alexey Burkov, who were all arrested in different countries and handed over to the US authorities on various charges.
“The United States does not care about the sovereignty of other states, it does not care about the rights and interests of Russian citizens,” Antonov said. He added that Moscow is in favor of the speedy repatriation of all Russian citizens held in American prisons, and is ready to exchange them for Americans detained in Russia.