MOSCOW, May 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has warned Switzerland of the inadmissibility of extraditing ex-Nuclear Energy Yevgeny Adamov to the US without prior agreement with Russia, says the commentary of the ministry's press department.

"The Swiss side has been informed through diplomatic channels of our serious concern over the detainment of Yevgeny O. Adamov, which was made, we believe, without due regard for certain norms of international law," the commentary says.

"We proceed from the assumption that criminal persecution of the former minister and former member of the Government of Russia in the territory of a foreign state and his extradition for this purpose to a third country bears on the national security interests of Russia," the ministry stressed.

According to Russian diplomats, "at least several charges brought against Yevgeny O. Adamov date back to the time when he was a minister."

"According to the norms of international law, such actions have immunity to foreign criminal legislation, which rules out the possibility of criminal persecution of Yevgeny Adamov in a foreign state without the agreement of concerned Russian agencies," the commentary says.

The Russian ministry believes that if there are reasons for a criminal persecution of Adamov, it should be done in Russia according to Russian laws.

Yevgeny Adamov, Russia's Atomic Energy Minister in 1998-2001, was detained in Bern on May 2. The arrest warrant for the 66-year-old former minister was issued by the court of the western district of Pennsylvania. The man is expecting extradition to the US in a Bern prison.

The US authorities accuse Adamov and his business partner, US national Mark Kaushansky of embezzling $9 million granted by the US government to Russia for improving nuclear safety systems.

Adamov faces up to 60 years in prison and a fine of $1.75 million in the US.