Ukrainian citizen Lyubov Rozhanska was detained by authorities in Astana on October 1, 2026, after arriving on a flight from Istanbul and passing through border control, according to DW. The detention took place at the request of Russia through the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) channels, as reported by lawyer Alexei Pryanishnikov and confirmed to DW by Astana-based lawyer Riza Nurbaeva. Rozhanska was transferred to a pretrial detention center in the capital of Kazakhstan while awaiting a court hearing scheduled to take place within three days of her arrest.
Supreme Court of Ukraine rules on child residence
The detention stems from a child custody dispute dating back to 2021, when Alla Andreeva (Sonchik), Rozhanska’s daughter, moved with her young son from Odesa to the Kaliningrad region of Russia to live with her second husband, Meduza reported. In March 2022, Andreeva applied to renounce Ukrainian citizenship for herself and her son, obtaining Russian citizenship later that year. Following a lawsuit filed by the boy’s father, the Supreme Court of Ukraine ruled in March 2025 that the child’s legal residence should be Odesa with his father, a Ukrainian citizen.
In July 2026, relatives of Andreeva’s second husband contacted Rozhanska to arrange the handover of the boy to his Ukrainian relatives, according to DW. However, lawyer Alexei Pryanishnikov stated that while negotiations were underway in August 2026, the Central District Court of Kaliningrad had already issued an arrest warrant on August 27 based on an FSB investigative team’s request regarding a 2023 child abduction case filed against Rozhanska in Russia. Defense lawyers characterized the sequence of events as a coordinated operation by the Russian Federal Security Service.
Diplomatic Response from Ukraine
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine announced that it has taken the situation under special control, according to LIGA and Apostrophe. Following the arrest, the Embassy of Ukraine in Kazakhstan formally requested local authorities to reject the Russian extradition request. Ukrainian consuls also requested and received preliminary authorization to visit Rozhanska in the Astana detention facility to provide legal and consular assistance.
Why Lyubov Rozhanska traveled to Kazakhstan?
Why was Lyubov Rozhanska traveling to Kazakhstan?
Rozhanska traveled to Astana to meet relatives of her daughter’s second husband and take custody of her grandson, who was scheduled to be brought there from Russia, according to DW and Meduza.
When did Russian authorities open a criminal case against Rozhanska?
Russian law enforcement initiated a criminal investigation against Rozhanska regarding alleged child abduction in 2023, and the Central District Court of Kaliningrad issued a pretrial detention order on August 27, 2026, as reported by DW.
What actions is the Ukrainian government taking regarding the detention?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that its embassy in Astana immediately appealed to Kazakh authorities to deny the Russian extradition request and requested consular access to visit Rozhanska in detention, according to LIGA and Apostrophe.
“We are counting on a fair review by the Kazakh side of the circumstances of this situation and are working to protect the legal rights and interests of our detained citizen,” the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.
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