A Russian court on Monday sentenced an American citizen to six years in prison for trying to “kidnap” his Russian son and trying to take him out of the country, amid tensions between Moscow and Washington.
“The Leningradsky District Court (in Kaliningrad, editor’s note) sentenced (the US citizen) to six years in prison and to serve his sentence in a strict regime penal colony,” he said in a telegram.
This American, whose exact identity has not been revealed, “was also fined 100,000 rubles” (about 1,000 euros at the current rate), according to the court.
According to the Russian judiciary, the accused found his four-year-old son – who holds Russian citizenship – in the Kaliningrad enclave in July 2023 with the aim of “taking him out” of Russia.
Two days later, “without the mother’s consent,” the person was “trying” with his son to “cross the border” with Poland, “by crossing forests and swamps,” before being detained by Russian border guards.
In recent years, several Westerners, especially Americans, have been arrested in Russia and targeted on serious charges, with Washington denouncing the hostage-taking in order to secure the release of Russians held abroad.
On August 1, the West and Russia carried out the largest prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War, including American journalist Ivan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan, who were released by Moscow.
Relations between Moscow and Washington have deteriorated since Vladimir Putin ordered his military to launch an attack on Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, the United States has supported Kiev militarily and financially.
