AUBREY, TEXAS, June 24 (RIA Novosti) - A Texas man is planning to visit Russia in July to collect his daughters after their Russian mother absconded with them in 2008, reports WFAA Television in Dallas.
Royce Sigler last saw Tanya, 11, and Ksenya, 9, five years ago when their mother Katya picked them up for a weekend visit and never returned. Although Sigler had won custody of his children in a Texas court, the Russian legal system did not recognize the ruling.
"I'd say in the five years I've talked to them two minutes tops, total," he told WFAA. "It's been tough.”
On June 7 the US Embassy in Moscow informed Sigler that his ex-wife had died and he had full custody rights by Russian law. Sigler, now based in Ohio, started an online campaign to raise funds for the trip that reached $15,000 in one week.
His ex-mother-in-law has vowed not to give up her grandchildren, WFAA reported.
