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Ukrainian citizen Liubov Rozhanska was released in Kazakhstan on Oct. 4 after being detained at Russia’s request on suspicion of attempted kidnapping. Her lawyer says she had traveled there to receive her grandson, whose residence Ukrainian courts had ordered to be with his father. She has since left Kazakhstan for Odesa; the case’s further status is unclear.
Liubov Rozhanska, a Ukrainian citizen detained in Kazakhstan at Russia’s request over an alleged attempt to kidnap her grandson, was released on October 4 and has since traveled to Odesa, her lawyer told the outlet Vot Tak. The detention followed her arrival in Astana to receive the boy, in a family dispute involving conflicting accounts of his planned travel and Ukrainian court rulings about where he should live.
Lawyer Alexei Pryanishnikov said Rozhanska’s detention period had expired and that authorities had not imposed a pretrial restriction on her. She was therefore released from the detention facility, he told Vot Tak. After leaving custody, she spent several days at the Ukrainian embassy in Kazakhstan before departing for Odesa, according to the lawyer. The report did not say whether she faced any travel restrictions after her release.
Rozhanska had flown from Istanbul to Astana in early October to pick up her grandson, who was expected to be brought from Russia. Pryanishnikov said the boy’s mother took him from Ukraine to Russia in 2021. The boy’s father had agreed to what was supposed to be a temporary trip, the lawyer said, but the mother and child did not return to Ukraine and later obtained Russian citizenship.
According to Pryanishnikov, Ukrainian courts, including the country’s Supreme Court, ruled that the boy should live with his father. He said relatives of the boy’s mother contacted Rozhanska and offered to hand the child over to her in Kazakhstan. Separately, Russia’s Federal Security Service directorate in the Kaliningrad region, where the mother and boy live, had asked a court to issue an arrest warrant for Rozhanska on suspicion of attempted kidnapping. She was detained at the airport after arriving in Astana, at Russia’s request.
A Cross-Border Custody Dispute
The release ends Rozhanska’s detention in Kazakhstan, but the case sits within a family dispute spanning Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan. It also raises questions about how competing legal actions and requests from different countries can affect a person traveling across borders. The information available does not establish that a court in Kazakhstan ruled on the underlying custody dispute; her release was reported as resulting from the expiry of her detention period and the absence of a pretrial restriction.
The reported Ukrainian rulings concern where the boy should live, while the Russian request concerned an alleged criminal offense. Those are distinct matters. Pryanishnikov argues that Rozhanska was acting in line with the Ukrainian court decisions, but that is his account of her purpose, not an independently established finding about the alleged offense. The report does not provide a response from Russian authorities or the boy’s mother.
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How the Detention Began
The dispute, as described by Rozhanska’s lawyer, began after the boy’s mother took him from Ukraine to Russia in 2021. The father had consented to a temporary trip, Pryanishnikov said, but mother and son did not return. They later acquired Russian citizenship, according to the lawyer. Ukrainian courts, including the Supreme Court, subsequently ruled that the child should live with his father.
In early October 2026, relatives of the mother allegedly offered to transfer the boy to Rozhanska in Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, Russian authorities had sought her arrest on suspicion of attempted kidnapping. She traveled from Istanbul to Astana and was detained at the airport at Russia’s request. The report does not detail the precise legal process used by Kazakhstan to hold her, beyond stating that she was detained at Russia’s request.
“The detention period had expired. Since no pretrial restriction had been assigned, she was released from the detention facility.”
— Alexei Pryanishnikov, Rozhanska’s lawyer, speaking to Vot Tak
The Allegation and Case Status
The available report does not say whether Russia’s attempted-kidnapping allegation remains active, whether Kazakhstan has closed any related proceedings, or whether a court issued a formal decision beyond the end of her detention. It also does not explain whether Rozhanska could be detained again if she travels, or whether Russia has made any further request concerning her.
Details of the proposed handover remain based on Pryanishnikov’s account. The report gives no direct statement from the boy’s mother, Russian officials, Kazakh authorities or the child’s father. It also does not specify the legal basis or timetable for any future arrangement over the boy’s residence or travel.
Possible Follow-Up on the Case
For now, Rozhanska has left Kazakhstan and is in Odesa, according to her lawyer. The next developments to watch are whether Russian authorities pursue the allegation further, whether Kazakhstan receives any additional request, and whether the family’s custody dispute leads to new legal steps. No dates for hearings or further proceedings were reported.
The status of the boy and any planned transfer were also not confirmed after Rozhanska’s release. Until the relevant authorities or parties provide further information, the details of a possible handover and the case’s legal outcome remain unresolved.
Key Questions
Who is Liubov Rozhanska?
She is a Ukrainian citizen who traveled to Kazakhstan to receive her grandson, according to her lawyer, Alexei Pryanishnikov.
Why was she detained in Kazakhstan?
She was detained at Astana airport at Russia’s request. Russian authorities had sought an arrest warrant on suspicion of attempted kidnapping, according to the report.
When was Rozhanska released?
Her lawyer said she was released on October 4, 2026, after her detention period expired and no pretrial restriction had been imposed.
What do Ukrainian courts say about the boy’s residence?
Pryanishnikov said Ukrainian courts, including the Supreme Court, ruled that the boy should live with his father. The report does not provide the court decisions themselves.
Has the kidnapping allegation been dropped?
The report does not say whether the allegation has been withdrawn or whether further proceedings are planned. Its status remains unclear.
Source: rss
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