I have filed for divorce from my wife who is a Russian citizen. We were married in the US and I was looking for a way to service her with the papers when I found your site. About 4 years ago, she took the kids to Russia to visit her mother like she had done every summer, but when they were supposed to come home, she kept them there claiming her mother was too infirm to live on her own. She has since been unwilling to discuss any other arrangements and has refused to bring the kids here to visit. As a result, my youngest daughter - about to turn 6 cannot speak English and I do not speak Russian, so we've never been able to have a conversation and my parents have been virtually cut off from their granddaughters.

I was under the impression I had no recourse under Russian law, but I need to try anything possible.

Divorce is basically a nuclear option. After twice offering to bring the kids for visits and refusing without any explanation or dialog, I started withholding support which is the only card I can play to try and get her to do anything. My wife earns good money, so the kids are not going without unless you consider my oldest daughter might have more private tennis lessons with my support. There is more to the story, but I have only spent 6 weeks total with my daughters in the past 4 years (they are 6 and 10) and this situation is completely unbearable to me which is why I started divorce proceedings. Are there any statutes under Russian law that could help me?

thanks