Ukrainian grandmother detained in Kazakhstan after Russia requests her arrest

Ukrainian national Liubov Rozhanska was taken into custody at Astana's airport after landing from Istanbul, where she intended to pick up her grandson. The detention follows a request from Russia, submitted via the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and she has been placed in a pre-trial detention centre pending a hearing expected within three days. Russian prosecutors accuse her of attempting to abduct the child, who was born in 2018 and later became a Russian citizen after his mother renounced Ukrainian citizenship.

Rozhanska's lawyers argue the case was orchestrated by the FSB, which had already prepared a wanted notice before the handover discussions began. The criminal investigation into the alleged abduction dates back to 2023, and a court in Kaliningrad had previously ordered her detention.