Russia jails US citizen for six years on kidnapping charges, court says

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A court in Russia's Kaliningrad region sentenced a U.S. citizen to six years in jail and fined him for 100,000 roubles ($1,078) for kidnapping his son, a regional court said on Telegram.

The American, whose full name was not disclosed by the court, attempted to illegally cross the Russian border in July 2023 with his four-year-old Russian son without the mother's permission, the court said.

In August, Russia, the United States and several other countries carried out a major prisoner exchange, which involved 24 prisoners - 16 moving from Russia to the West and eight sent back to Russia from the West.

($1 = 92.8000 roubles)

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)