How We Helped Return an American Child from Russia after an International Abduction
Our client, Oliver from London, United Kingdom, reached out to us for legal assistance.
In 2018, he met Ekaterina, a Russian citizen, on a dating website. For nearly a year, Oliver regularly traveled to Russia before finally moving Ekaterina to England. In 2020, the couple welcomed a daughter, Samantha.
In 2021, Ekaterina was diagnosed with leukemia, and tragically, she passed away later that year in December.
After his wife’s death, Oliver maintained contact with Samantha’s grandmother. She would visit Samantha in the UK, and the child occasionally spent holidays in Russia. However, after the summer holidays in 2024, Samantha did not return to London. The grandmother blocked Oliver’s phone number and ceased all communication.
Oliver found our firm, GK Legal, through the official gov.uk website and turned to us for help.
We immediately initiated proceedings under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (1980) by filing a petition with the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow.
In our claim, we argued that the child’s habitual residence was the United Kingdom and that the grandmother had unlawfully retained her in Russia. We also emphasized that the living conditions in Russia were not suitable for the child’s
The court hearings lasted four months. Ultimately, the court ruled in favor of our client, ordering the grandmother to return the child to her father in London.
Thus, we successfully ensured that another unlawfully retained child was safely returned home.
