Lawyer hears nothing of Savchenko's possible swap for Bout, Yaroshenko, but would be happy with such outcome

The defense team for Ukrainian citizen Nadia Savchenko, who was sentenced in Russia to 22 years in prison over the murder of Russian journalists, would be happy if Savchenko could be exchanged for Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko, who are serving lengthy prison terms in the United States.

"It makes absolutely no difference to me, as her lawyer, for whom she will be exchanged – for Bout, Yaroshenko. It does not play any role for me. It is absolutely and completely impossible to secure Savchenko's release by legal methods (through proving her innocence)," Savchenko's lawyer Mark Feygin told Interfax on Tuesday.

"I do not know whether the U.S. would agree to it because Savchenko is not its citizen, but if they agree to it for humanitarian considerations, it would also be a way out. If this happens, then let it be this way," he said.

At the same time, the lawyer did not rule out that such an exchange could have been discussed at U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's recent talks in Moscow.

"If such an issue was really on the agenda, which I do not know for certain, I see no problem there. I have no idea what the actual situation is, but I do not rule out that it was discussed at some point during the talks," Feygin said.

Several sources familiar with the situation told Interfax earlier on Tuesday that Savchenko may be exchanged for a group of Russians, including Bout and Yaroshenko, who are serving prison sentences in the U.S.