Russia’s children rights ombudsman: Another Russian teen taken from his family in Finland

MOSCOW, June 3. /TASS/. A Russian national has been arrested in the United States for taking her own daughter, also a Russian citizen, from that country two years ago, Russian children’s rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov said on Friday.

"Strange things are happening in the United States. A Russian citizen, Olga Pimenova, has been arrested for taking her daughter from that country two years ago," he wrote on his Twitter account.

Russia’s embassy in Washington is aware of the arrest of a Russian citizen, a spokesman for the Russian embassy told TASS on Friday.

"We are taking measures over that, this case is under control," the spokesman said, adding that Russian diplomats have already contacted the U.S. Department of State over Pimenova’s arrest. According to specialized U.S. web resources, Pimenova, 30, was arrested in the State of Illinois on May 20.

According to Astakhov, Olga took her daughter, a Russian national too, from the United States to Russia two year ago without any problems.

"An Illinois court however has ruled the baby girl is to be brought back to the United States! We are categorically against and deem such demand as unlawful," Astakhov emphasized.

"The girl’s mother, a Russian citizen, has been arrested under a contrived pretext and is held as a hostage demanding she bring her daughter, a Russian citizen too, back to the United States," he added.

The Russian ombudsman described this situation as ‘flagrant lawfulness" and pledged to help the Russian citizen together with the Russian foreign ministry and the Russian embassy in Washington.