First, I expect that the appropriate venue for the divorce would be Moscow, since that has been the jurisdiction of our marital home. Although we have lived in Moscow for many years, my wife is registered in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (where her parents live) and while she had some temporary registration in Moscow some years ago, I don't think she has kept that up, so I assume that she is not registered in Moscow, only in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. If we go this route, would you be able to assist?

Second, how long does the divorce process take?

Third, can she block the divorce if she does not agree?

Fourth, I understand that there is no requirement under Russian law for continual alimony or spousal support after the divorce. Is this correct?

Fifth, what is customarily done with property? Essentially all of the income earned in the family has been mine – my wife has never held a full time job during our marriage and has only earned a few rubles here and there teaching yoga. She has never earned more than a few thousand dollars in any year (for the past four or five years, the number has been almost zero). Under these circumstances, what kind of property division would be required under law?

I’m looking for an expert on Russian law to speak to me for 5 minutes – it seems that a death metal band called Cannibal Corpse are about to tour Russia, in spite of warnings from Orthodox activist groups about the tour being a contravention of blasphemy laws.

I’d like to speak to an expert on what Russia’s response will be – will it throw the band in prison, as it did Pussy Riot?

I’d basically like you to answer the following two questions:

1. Will Putin throw Cannibal Corpse in jail, or will he resist this option?

2. What will be the main considerations behind his decision?

Hi Karina,

My wife and I are filing for divorce and I wanted to request your consultation to determine if it is better to file in Russia or in the US.

Background:
I am an American citizen. My wife is Russian.
We have been married for 8 years and have two children.
We were married at ZAGS in St. Petersburg (our official marriage certificate is Russian).
We have resided in the US.

Question:
We are trying for an uncontested divorce and would like to agree on everything if possible and I would like to proceed so that everything is fair for my ex-wife and children. However I am concerned about the amount of spousal maintenance (alimony) that will be required if I file for divorce in the US.

This would be a fixed dollar amount based on my current earnings at my job here. However my plan is to move back to Russia following our divorce where I will do freelance / consulting work which might not be as stable as my current job. In that case I believe a % of my income would be more appropriate as I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to necessarily pay the fixed dollar amount based on my job in the US. I have heard that in Russia there is no spousal support but only child support which would be 25% of my income for each child. I believe that this would be a better situation given the circumstances.

So this brings me to my question(s)- is it possible for me to file for divorce in Russia? I could be the in person and feel comfortable communicating with the officials however my wife would likely not be present. What could I expect in terms of timeline and outcomes? In your opinion does it make more sense for me to file in the US or in Russia?

Dear Karina Duvall,

I've decided to go ahead and seek a paid consultation with you. Per your request, I've paid the consultation fee at your website. Clearly, I hope that you'll be able to help me and my fiance out.

So, as previously mentioned, our situation is as follows. I’m a US citizen who is engaged to a Ukrainian woman. At the moment we are applying for a K-1 fiancee visa. Our major problem is that her ex-husband will not give us permission to take their son out of Ukraine. It should also be said that denying him custody of the child here in Ukraine will be impossible. He doesn’t do very much for his son, but apparently the ex does just enough. With all of that being said, we are still planning on bringing the child to the States. My questions now are two-fold.

First, once in the US, would it be possible to file for custody in a family court in the US? If so, how can we prepare for this eventuality now? What sort of advice could you offer now, and would this be a case you could take on in the near future?

Also, I should mention that I’m very worried about the possibility of my fiance’s ex-husband haunting us later in the future. While my fiancee is applying for a K-1 fiancee visa, we are planning on asking a Ukrainian court for permission to take the child from Ukraine on medical grounds. With that being said, I want to know what we can do (or even if this is the best strategy) to mitigate (or even prevent) the possibility of her ex-husband showing that the child was removed from Ukraine on false pretenses. Any advice or guidance you can offer in this would also be greatly appreciated.

I hope I've explained our situation adequately. Please let me know if you have any questions. Many thanks, and I look forward to your response.

We want Karina Duvall to confirm the advice as she has done about the spousal support.

I am an American woman married to a Russian man since 2012. I gave birth to our daughter in New York in February 2015. She has an American birth certificate and social security card, no other papers.

I want to file for divorce and full custody from my state, but I don't know what is going on with my husband. He came to New York one week before our daughter was born, got his name on the birth certificate, and left 8 weeks later after much arguing. He broke property, wrecked my car in September, and there are witnesses to his verbal abuse. He is angry that I left Russia for the U.S. (I am only American, I don't even speak Russian) and I don't see any reconciliation (he is angry, unapologetic and does not want to move to the U.S. and I don't want to live with him in Russia again).

My husband wants to be in our daughter's life somehow - he insists she must visit Russia, and he wants to visit New York next month to see his daughter. I feel our marriage is over. I want to know before I file for divorce (I am procrastinating, I think I still love him but we are terrible together and I don't want our daughter growing up with fighting and disrespect to me) what rights he may have under Russian law to his child. I don't know what he's doing- for all I know he is speaking with lawyers and filing from Russia. I believe he does not love me anymore and just wants to make sure his daughter is Russian and has a relationship to Russia, but I want to prevent this now as I have heard that if I allow her to go to Russia (I would not let her go alone, ever) I may have trouble leaving with her. Please advise.

Dear Karina,

I have seen your website and the interesting and professional answers you provide and I would like to have your legal advice before starting any legal process, in which case I will be happy to use your services.

I am American citizen married with a Russian girl in 2009. We have been living in Russia until 2011 when we move to United States with our little daughter.

During the previous Christmas we went to Saint Petersburg for a 2 weeks holidays and when I was there my wife told she will never come back to United States and that she will keep my daughter with her. I went back to United States and I have already started the divorce process with a lawyer.

She recently filed divorce in Russia.

From what i have seen in your website (answers) and what another lawyer told me already, I am aware that what she is doing is legal in Russia.

My question is: How the process works in Russia for my wife sending her demand to me? Should I have to have a lawyer in Russia?

If I disagree with what she demands (I will ask for the custody for myself) should I have to go to Russia to declare on the tribunal?

I have sent the official request via the Ministry of Foreign affairs, and they answered me by the Central Russian Authority. They offer me to reach agreement with my wife about child.

i have also seen that Russian Law does not care about which demand was first or if there is "opposite" demand coming from another country.

If my demand comes to her before she start the process, does this changes anything for me / for her?

I am writing a story about divorce in Russia. I would like to interview you and have your opinion on the subject.

These are the questions i would like to address:

1. What are the main reasons, according to you, behind the high divorce rates in Russia?

2. Do you believe that these issues might be related to marrying early, infidelity, alcoholism?

3. What has the government done now and what more can it do to affect the divorce rate?

4. How many divorces to you handle a year?

5. Are divorces easier in Russia? If yes, why?

6. What part to children play in the divorce? What is the perspective in Russia toward paying child support etc.?

7. Do you see a change in trend in the past two decades? Are younger people not going to have such a high divorce rate? If yes, why?

8. Lastly, have I forgotten anything on the subject? If yes please write any additional comment.

Thank you very much!

I am Ukrainian citizen. Is it possible to have 2 residences and 2 visas (to make residence and permanent visa in Russia keeping at the same time my residence (green card) in United States?

Good afternoon, Karina. I am the editor of the show “хххххххххххх” on the nationwide broadcast channel “хххххххххх”.

We are searching for the American family that adopted three children from Ukraine and then returned them to their grandmother.

We know that this grandmother, to whom the children were returned, is going to file action against the people who adopted the children. I have the information that you are aware of this situation. If you possess any information, please right me a letter. We need to find out the opinion of the foster parents.