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A dialling error and a mis-sent fax caused Russia to accuse the US of kidnapping one of its citizens, the US has admitted.

When a Russian man was arrested in an international drug bust in May, notification was sent to the wrong country, the state department has said.

Russian cargo pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko was arrested in Liberia and transferred to the US to face charges.

But Russian officials were angry that they hadn't been notified for weeks.

The US state department has apologised to the Russians, a spokesman said.

"We pressed the wrong button on the fax machine, to be brutally frank," spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters.

He said that the matter had been resolved.

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Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of __________________, code name ‘Nike”,
signing off