Propensity of North Caucasus Courts to Favor Fathers over Mothers in Custody Battles Sparks Rise of ‘Divorce Tourism’ to There from Russian Regions

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Dec. 18 – The Russian Federation under Vladimir Putin has seen the rise of “tourism” from one region to another either to get things available in one but not in another, to pay less for goods and services, or to gain benefits such as bonuses for joining the Russian military to fight in Putin’s war in Ukraine.

            But another form of “tourism” is on the rise, according to the Daptar news agency which tracks how women are treated and often mistreated in the North Caucasus. According to that agency, courts in the North Caucasus are more likely to favor fathers over mothers in custody battles during divorces (daptar.ru/2025/12/18/razvodny-turizm-na-kavkaze/).

            As a result, fathers seeking custody of children frequently try to move themselves and the custody cases to the North Caucasus where courts, following tradition, are far more likely to give these men custody of their children than as Russian courts elsewhere which tend to favor the mothers.

            This is no small thing for those involved, Daptar continues; but what may be most important is that this clearly documents the way in which courts in various parts of the Russian Federation diverge for cultural and historical reasons and the understanding some Russians have that they can benefit by engaging in “divorce tourism.”

            But even more than that, the examples that the Daptar agency provides – and this is exactly the kind of reporting it does on a regular basis – show that for all the Kremlin talks about having created a common legal space, that does not in fact exist at least in cases where men benefit over women.