Ukrainian Woman Detained in Kazakhstan After Alleged FSB Trap over Grandson's Return
- Kazakh authorities detained Ukrainian citizen Liubov Rozhanska at the Astana airport on Thursday, October 1, after she arrived from Istanbul to collect her grandson, acting on a Russian warrant regarding an alleged custody dispute.
- The case involves a years-long custody dispute over Rozhanska's grandson, who was moved to Kaliningrad in 2021. In July 2026, relatives offered to return the child, but attorney Alexei Pryanishnikov alleges this was a "planned operation" to lure her.
- Russia opened a criminal case against Rozhanska in 2023 for alleged kidnapping and is seeking her extradition through the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Defense lawyers emphasize she has never entered Russia, yet faces potential deportation.
- Rozhanska is currently held in a Kazakh pretrial detention center, with a court hearing expected within three days, according to Deutsche Welle. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously confirmed more than 20,000 cases of unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia.
- Ukraine's Supreme Court ruled in March 2025 that the child should reside with his father in Odesa, despite the mother obtaining Russian citizenship in 2022. This legal struggle persists, complicating efforts to reunite the family amid the ongoing war.
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24 Articles
Rojansky arrived in Astana, not knowing that Russia was already preparing for her detention, and Dmitri Lubientz noted.
Ukrainian Embassy asks Kazakhstan not to extradite detained Ukrainian woman to Russia – MFA
The Ukrainian Embassy in Kazakhstan has appealed to the Kazakhstani authorities not to grant Russia's request for the extradition of Ukrainian citizen Liubov Rozhanska, who was detained in Astana, the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters.
On October 1, a Ukrainian citizen was detained at the airport of Kazakhstan's capital Astana on Russia's application for her extradition. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is aware of this situation and asked Kazakhstan not to satisfy the request of the Russian Federation regarding the Ukrainian woman who came to pick up her granddaughter.
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