Two Children Set To Return To England Following Ruling

A mother from London won her legal battle in Russia to get her children back from her ex-husband after he refused to bring them back from a holiday in Moscow.

The High Court in England originally ruled that Ilya Neustadt should return youngsters Daniel and Jonathan after he decided not to return them to their mother Rachel from the break in December last year.

However, with Russia recently signing up to the Hague Convention which states that countries need to respect legal orders made in other jurisdictions, the Moscow City Court has now given its backing to the decision.

Following the ruling, Mr Neustadt told the BBC he would consider his options and aim to seek an “amicable solution” to the issue.

The case is believed to be the first to involve the UK and Russia which has been related to the Hague Convention.

Expert Opinion

A case like this demonstrates the difficult emotional issues that can emerge when a couple with children choose to separate, particularly where one of the party may have significant links with or reside in a foreign country. <br/> <br/>"As this ruling highlights, the effect of the provisions within the Hague Conventions relating to child abduction and recognition and enforcement of orders relating to children will have a significant impact on this issue. <br/> <br/>"Cases like this are much more common than people think and are only likely to become even more regular as people continue to travel and live abroad as part of their careers or purely as a general lifestyle choice. <br/> <br/>"If parents are concerned about either their children being retained by their former partner or their offspring seeking to move abroad, they should seek specialist legal advice as soon as possible."