Russian says will die on hunger strike if no U.S. aid

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) - A Russian man has said he will stay on hunger strike until the United States gives him $10 million compensation for injuries he suffered in an accident involving a U.S. diplomat's car.

Alexander Kashin, who lives in Russia's Far East, says he was left disabled at 23 by the accident in the city of Vladivostok in 1998 and has never been compensated.

"I have no intention of halting the strike. I will keep refusing food until I either die or they meet 100 percent of my demands," Kashin told Reuters on Tuesday, the ninth day of his hunger strike.

Kashin's legal action dates back to the accident on November 27 1998. He was hurt in a crash that involved a car carrying a senior diplomat at the U.S. consulate in Vladivostok. The accident left Kashin with severe spinal injuries.

The U.S. embassy in Moscow declined to comment either on the background to the case or on Kashin's current hunger strike when contacted by Reuters.

"We can't comment on this case in any way, I'm sorry," an embassy spokeswoman said.

Kashin, who is confined to a wheelchair, says he was contacted by U.S. officials after he began his hunger strike, but says he rejected their offer to pay him $100,000. The U.S. embassy did not comment on his claim.

"I think that if I take the money they (U.S. officials) will decide they have fulfilled their moral obligations. But this amount is absolutely not enough for my medical treatment."

"All in all, I need about $10 million so this amount looks like a miserable pittance," said Kashin.

(Writing by Conor Sweeney; editing by Keith Weir)