FREE DAVID BARNES
American citizen David Barnes had his two sons kidnapped to Russia by their mother after a court ruled that they would have shared custody after their divorce. When he traveled to Russia to visit his sons, she made baseless allegations of abuse – claims that had previously been investigated and found to be unsubstantiated by a Texas court and Child Protective Services.
The Russians arrested and prosecuted David, finding him guilty and sentencing him to 21 years.
DAVID BARNES HAS BEEN DETAINED FOR
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DAVID BARNES IS INNOCENT
“They were extremely outrageous allegations…that just had no credibility to them, whatsoever.”
— The ADA Assigned To Barnes’ Custody Case
"I can say that the allegations against Mr. Barnes were investigated and evaluated by law enforcement here in Montgomery County and charges were not brought against him. A jury also heard evidence regarding the allegations during his custody dispute in the family law trial and even after hearing about the allegations, still awarded Mr. Barnes custody of his two children.”
— Kelly Blackburn, First Assistant DA in Montgomery County
REVIEW THE CASE YOURSELF:
CONGRESS IS STANDING UP FOR DAVID
“It is past time that David Barnes is returned to America.”
— Senator Katie Britt, Alabama
“David Barnes, a Texas father of two sons, has been detained in Russia for far too long under charges already proven to be false, and it is past time for him to be released.”
— Senator John Cornyn, Texas
“The Senator and his staff are fully engaged with the State Department with respect to David Barnes and are supportive of all their efforts to secure his immediate return to the United States.”
—Senator Tubberville, Alabama
"We commend all efforts to secure Mr. Barnes' release. As the Administration continues negotiations with Russia, we urge you to utilize every tool available to facilitate his return to the United States."
—Rep. Dan Crenshaw (TX-02), Rep. Dale Strong (AL-05), Senator John Cornyn
“We write to express our grave concern for the U.S. nationals detained by the Russian Federation under circumstances that raise serious questions about their safety and wellbeing, due process, and violations to international norms…As of August 12, 2026, these individuals have been held in Russian custody for the following days…David Barnes – 1,671 days.”
— Senators, Chuck Schumer (NY, Minority Leader), Adam Schiff (CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Tim Kaine (VA), Edward J. Markey (MA), Elizabeth Warren (MA), Alex Padilla (CA), Peter Welch (VT), Mark R. Warner (VA), Richard Blumenthal (CT), John Hickenlooper (CO), Michael F. Bennet (CO), Patty Murray (WA), Jeffrey A. Merkley (OR), Elissa Slotkin (MI), Gary C. Peters (MI)
SO WHY IS HE STILL IN RUSSIA?
David’s Sisters Tells His Story In Primetime
As Trump-Putin summit nears, family of American held in Russia hopes for another prisoner exchange
Jared Kofsky, ABC News, 8/13/25
As President Donald Trump prepares to travel to Alaska on Friday to address the future of Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the family of the Texas man serving the longest prison sentence of any American currently being detained in Russia is hopeful that another prisoner exchange between the two nations will be on the agenda.
"We hope for better relations between the U.S. and Russia that will hopefully lead to the release of my brother," Margaret Aaron, one of David Barnes' two sisters, told ABC News anchor Gio Benitez in an interview Wednesday.
About David
US citizen David Barnes is a 66-year-old resident of Texas who was born and grew up in Alabama. He is an engineer, who works for KBR, Inc (Kellogg Brown and Root) designing industrial facilities. In 2009, David married a Russian émigré – Svetlana Boricovna Koptyaeva – who he met at the pool in their apartment complex. They had two sons – one in 2010 and the other in 2014. His marriage fell apart as his wife refused to assimilate, and then moved her mother in.
David’s Case In The News
What Happened In Texas
In 2013, Svetlana filed for divorce from David. To gain extra leverage, she alleged he had abused his only son at the time. But then they got pregnant with their second son, and she withdrew the case.
In 2014, David filed for divorce from Svetlana, which was granted in 2015. In 2018, Svetlana tried to gain sole custody of the boys. Despite having previously withdrawn her allegations of abuse, she made them again to try to sway the court.
This time Child Protective Services and the Texas District Attorney’s office both investigated and found them to be unsubstantiated. The Assistant District Attorney assigned to the case stated: “They were extremely outrageous allegations … that just had no credibility to them, whatsoever.”
On March 26, 2019, a Texas jury ruled that both parents would have shared custody. Within two days of the ruling, Svetlana fled with the kids to Turkey and then to Russia.
There is an open arrest warrant for Svetlana in Texas, the FBI has an open investigation of her for kidnapping the boys, in 2020 Interpol issued a Yellow Notice for the boys as victims of kidnapping, and the Center for Missing & Exploited Children has a case file on the boys.
Christian And David’s Interpol Yellow Notices
When Svetlana illegally left the United States with her and David’s son to avoid sharing custody, Interpol issued the fellow Yellow Notices to put law enforcement across the world on alert for the two kidnapped children.
David’s Letter To His Boys
David has not been in contact with his sons, David and Christian, since his ex-wife kidnapped them. He wrote them this letter from prison. Please share it widely online so that they have a hope of finding and reading it.
If you are reading this, then you must have found my website "freedavidbarnes.com", a website created by people trying to help me and us. Thousands of people in America and Russia know I am innocent and are supporting us. You know I am innocent as well. Don't worry, we will be together again…
David and Christian, I love you both very much and have never stopped thinking about you. I think about you every day. I am your father and will always be here for you.
Love,
Dad
What happened in Russia
Even after hiring a private investigator and lawyer, it took time for David to find Svetlana and the boys in Russia. When they found her, David had her served with papers so a Texas court could grant him sole custody. David had to fight his way through the COVID shutdown to get a visa to visit Russia, eventually arriving in late 2021.
On the advice of his lawyer, he rented an apartment near her so a Russian court would agree to give him visitation rights, and it would be minimally disruptive to his sons. When Svetlana found out he was in Russia, she made an allegation of child abuse to the police, who arrested David.
He was not allowed to see his lawyer for two months. A Russian court convicted him without evidence even though the alleged abuse would have occurred in the US and a Texas court had already investigated and ruled the allegations were without merit.
He was sentenced to 21 years in a penal colony in February 2024. The Russian government has refused to share the court case file or any evidence or testimony that was used to convict him.
Learn More About David’s Case
How Can You Help?
Please write to Senators Cruz and Cornyn and ask them to leverage the full leverage of the United States to bring home David Barnes, an innocent father beind held in Russia for trying to stay in his children’s lives.
Free David Barnes
Dear [Member of Congress],
I am asking you to call for David Barnes’ release. David is an Alabama native, Texas resident, engineer, and, most importantly, the father of two young boys. David is currently being detained in Russia on a 21-year sentence based on false allegations that have already been investigated and disproved by Texas law enforcement officials.
In 2014, David filed for divorce from the mother of his children, a Russian émigré named Svetlana Boricovna Koptyaeva. Svetlana accused Barnes of child abuse, but CPS and the Texas Attorney General quickly investigated and disproved Koptyaeva’s claims. The ADA on the case even said, “They were extremely outrageous allegations…that just had no credibility to them, whatsoever.”
In 2019, within two days of a Texas jury ruling that Svetlana and David would share joint custody, Svetlana fled with the kids to Turkey and then to Russia. There is an open arrest warrant for Svetlana in Texas, the FBI has an open investigation of her for kidnapping the boys, in 2020 Interpol issued a Yellow Notice for the boys as victims of kidnapping, and the Center for Missing & Exploited Children has a case file on the boys.
David followed his family to Russia, but his ex-wife made allegations of child abuse to Russian officials who arrested David. He was not allowed to see a lawyer for two months. A Russian court convicted him without evidence even though the alleged abuse would have occurred in the Texas, where again, it had already been disproven.
We demand action now. An American father moving heaven and earth to be in his sons’ lives is exactly the kind of situation where the American government needs to wield the full force of our foreign policy to defend our citizens abroad. Please work with the State Department to find a quick solution to David’s case that brings him and his sons home now.
Important Senators:
We are very grateful for your support.
Support David’s Family As They Try To Bring Him Home
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for your interest in David’s story, especially if you’ve reached out to our four Senators.
If you’re able to support David’s family as they try to navigate this legal ordeal and family tragedy, we would be very grateful.