Yevgeny Adamov "was brought to Moscow early this morning under (police) escort and put into the special detention centre" of the Matrosskaya Tishina prison, the federal prison service was quoted as saying.

On Thursday, Switzerland's Federal Tribunal ruled in favour of handing Adamov back to Russia, where he stands accused of skimming 17 million dollars (14.4 million euros) from the state while he was atomic energy minister between 1998 and 2001.

Washington expressed disappointment as it too wants to try Adamov on charges of fraud and money laundering in connection with nine million dollars sent by the US government to help Russia improve its nuclear safety after the break-up of the Soviet Union.

An unnamed security services told Interfax that Adamov entered Russia amid high secrecy and strict security on a special flight. However, "handcuffs were not put on the ex-minister," the source was quoted as saying.

The special facility in the Matrosskaya Tishina pre-trial prison has been used to hold high-profile prisoners and politicians since the Soviet era. Jailed Yukos oil company boss Mikhail Khodorkovsky was held there until his conviction on fraud charges and imprisonment in Siberia earlier this year.

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