As Head of state Donald Trump prepares to take a trip to Alaska on Friday to deal with the future of Ukraine with Russian Head Of State Vladimir Putin, the household of the Texas guy offering the lengthiest jail sentence of any type of American presently being apprehended in Russia is confident that an additional detainee exchange in between both countries will certainly get on the schedule.
” We wish for far better connections in between the united state and Russia that will ideally result in the launch of my bro,” Margaret Aaron, among David Barnes’ 2 sis, informed ABC Information support Gio Benitez in a meeting Wednesday.
Barnes, that matured in Alabama, has actually been apprehended in Moscow considering that January 2022 and is presently offering a 21.5-year sentence.
” He’s hanging tough,” Aaron claimed. “He has actually been exceptionally solid via the last 3 and a fifty percent years. We’re exceptionally happy with him and he has actually remained to be confident that something will certainly occur.”
Unlike various other Americans that have actually been kept in Russia, Barnes is charged by Russian district attorneys of criminal offenses in the USA, not Russia. Yet American police had no participation in Barnes’ prosecution in Moscow.
Barnes was founded guilty by a Russian court of abusing his 2 boys years previously in Texas, yet district attorneys in Montgomery Area, Texas, informed ABC Information that police in the Lone Celebrity State examined the cases after they were reported by Barnes’ Russian ex-wife and did not discover proof to sustain them.
” I do recognize that every person that listened to and examined the youngster sexual assault accusations elevated by Mrs. Barnes throughout the youngster guardianship procedures did not discover them to be qualified,” Montgomery Area Area Lawyer’s Workplace Test Bureau Principal Kelly Blackburn formerly informed ABC Information.
David Barnes shows up in court in Russia on Feb. 13, 2024
ABC Information
” He’s been enduring,” Aaron claimed Wednesday. “He’s innocent.”
Barnes’ ex-wife, Svetlana Koptyaeva, has actually preserved that Barnes abused their boys while the youngsters were maturing in the Texas residential areas years back. Koptyaeva was billed with felony disturbance with youngster guardianship after apparently taking the youngsters from Texas to Russia in 2019 while a kid guardianship disagreement in between her and Barnes was playing out.
In 2020, a Texas household court marked Barnes as the main guardian of his boys, yet considering that considering that Koptyaeva had actually taken them abroad, Barnes’ household claims he made a decision to take a trip to Russia after COVID-19 limitations were raised to attempt to eliminate for comparable guardianship or visitation legal rights in Moscow’s court system.
Barnes was jailed weeks after showing up in Russia and has actually lagged bars since. In April, a court in Moscow refuted Barnes’ charm of his sentence.
” We truly, truly require to have him marked as wrongfully apprehended,” Aaron claimed. “Ideally, to begin that procedure, we require the aid of Trump and Assistant [Marco] Rubio.”
The upcoming conference in between Trump and Putin on American dirt comes 4 months after Russian authorities launched ballerina Ksenia Karelina to the united state via a detainee exchange.
Adhering to Karelina’s go back to the united state, she composed a letter to Trump asking for the launch of Barnes together with fellow Americans Robert Gilman and Andre Khachatoorian. Trump uploaded the letter on social media sites.
” David Barnes, a Texas papa of 2 boys, has actually been apprehended in Russia for much as well lengthy under fees currently verified to be incorrect, and it is for him to be launched,” united state Legislator John Cornyn of Texas claimed in a statement at the time. “I prompt Head of state Trump and Assistant Rubio to focus on initiatives to bring David and all wrongfully-detained Americans throughout the globe home.”
Various Other Americans that were formerly kept in Russia, like Paul Whelan, Trevor Reed and Brittney Griner, were moved to chastening nests much from Moscow following their sentences– yet Barnes has actually been kept in Russia’s resources considering that he was nabbed.
” We have actually gone to Mr. Barnes 8 times considering that his apprehension in January 2022,” a united state State Division speaker informed ABC Information. “Our last browse through to Mr. Barnes in apprehension remained in May 2025.”
With all eyes on Anchorage in advance of today’s governmental top, Barnes’ friends and family in the united state will certainly be paying attention.
” David’s toughness maintains us going,” Aaron claimed.
