A Ukrainian Grandmother Came To Kazakhstan To Collect Her Grandson. Instead, She Was Detained At Russia’s Request.

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Ukrainian citizen Liubov Rozhanska was detained at Astana airport after arriving from Istanbul to collect her grandson, according to Meduza. Her lawyers told DW that Russia sought her detention through the Collective Security Treaty Organization; she could be extradited to face an investigation over an alleged attempted child abduction. A court hearing was expected within three days of the report.

Ukrainian citizen Liubov Rozhanska was detained at Astana airport after arriving from Istanbul to collect her grandson, and is being held in a pretrial detention center following a request from Russia, according to a report by Meduza. Her lawyers told DW that Russia sought her detention through the Collective Security Treaty Organization; a court hearing was expected within three days, and she could be extradited to Russia over an investigation into alleged child abduction.

Rozhanska had traveled to Kazakhstan to meet the boy, who was expected to be brought there from Russia, her lawyer Alexey Pryanishnikov told Meduza. The child was born in 2018 to Rozhanska’s daughter, Alla Andreyeva, during Andreyeva’s first marriage. In 2021, Andreyeva took him from Odesa to Russia’s Kaliningrad region to live with her second husband.

In 2022, Andreyeva renounced her Ukrainian citizenship and her son’s, and both became Russian citizens, according to Meduza. In 2025, Ukraine’s Supreme Court ruled in a case brought by the boy’s father that the child should live in Odesa. In the summer of 2026, relatives of Andreyeva’s second husband contacted Rozhanska and offered to hand the boy over, Pryanishnikov said.

Meduza reported that Rozhanska is being held in a pretrial detention center. Her lawyers said a Kaliningrad court ordered her custody on August 27, before she was detained in Kazakhstan. They said Russia’s investigation concerns an alleged attempted abduction and began in 2023. The allegation is not a finding of guilt.

A Cross-Border Custody Dispute

The detention puts a family dispute over where a child should live into a cross-border legal process. The competing developments described in the report include a Ukrainian Supreme Court ruling that the boy should live in Odesa and Russian authorities’ investigation of Rozhanska over an alleged attempted abduction. The child’s citizenship and the locations of his mother, grandmother and father add further legal dimensions.

For Rozhanska, the immediate issue is whether Kazakhstan will continue to hold her and how it will respond to Russia’s request. If extradited, she could face proceedings in Russia. The available report does not establish whether the boy was brought to Kazakhstan or whether he has been transferred to his father.

How the Family Dispute Developed

The boy was born in 2018 in Odesa, when his mother was married to his father. Andreyeva took him to the Kaliningrad region in 2021 after marrying again. Meduza says that the mother and child acquired Russian citizenship in 2022 after renouncing their Ukrainian citizenship.

The father later filed a lawsuit in Ukraine, and the country’s Supreme Court ruled in 2025 that the child should live in Odesa. The reported offer by relatives of Andreyeva’s second husband to hand over the boy came in summer 2026. Rozhanska’s lawyers allege that, while handover arrangements were being discussed, Russia’s Federal Security Service office in Kaliningrad was preparing documents to place her on a wanted list and seek her extradition.

According to the lawyers, a Kaliningrad court ordered Rozhanska held in custody on August 27. They also said the investigation had started in 2023. The report does not provide the full court ruling or an official statement from Russian or Kazakh authorities.

“Rozhanska had flown to Kazakhstan to pick up her grandson, who was to be brought there from Russia.”

— Alexey Pryanishnikov, Rozhanska’s lawyer, as quoted by Meduza

Extradition and Custody Remain Open

The report does not say whether Kazakhstan has agreed to extradite Rozhanska, or when a decision on Russia’s request may be made. The court hearing expected within three days was a future event at the time of publication; its outcome is not included in the source material.

It is also unclear whether the grandson reached Kazakhstan, where he is currently living, and whether any handover took place. The source does not include responses from Kazakh or Russian authorities, the full terms of Russia’s request, or the underlying evidence for the alleged attempted abduction. The lawyers’ claim that the FSB planned the detention in advance has not been independently verified in the material provided.

Court Hearing and Extradition Decision

The next reported milestone is the court hearing in Kazakhstan, which Meduza said was expected within three days of its October 2 report. The hearing’s purpose and potential effect on Rozhanska’s detention are not specified in the source material.

Further developments would include any ruling on her custody, Kazakhstan’s response to Russia’s request, and whether the boy is transferred to his father or remains in Russia. Until authorities or court records provide more detail, the extradition process and the child’s immediate situation remain unresolved.

Key Questions

Who is Liubov Rozhanska?

Liubov Rozhanska is a Ukrainian citizen and the grandmother of a boy born in 2018 to her daughter, Alla Andreyeva. She was detained in Kazakhstan after traveling there to collect him, according to Meduza.

Why was Rozhanska detained in Kazakhstan?

Her lawyers told DW that Russia sought her detention through the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Meduza reported that she is under investigation in Russia over an alleged attempted child abduction. The allegation has not been established as fact.

Could she be extradited to Russia?

Yes, according to Meduza’s report, she could be extradited to Russia. The source does not say whether Kazakhstan has agreed to the request or when it will decide.

What is known about the grandson’s custody?

Ukraine’s Supreme Court ruled in 2025, in a case filed by the boy’s father, that he should live in Odesa. Meduza reported that relatives of his mother’s second husband later offered to hand him over, but it is unclear whether he traveled to Kazakhstan or was transferred.

Source: rss