Ukrainian citizen detained in Astana at Russia's request

Ukrainian citizen Lyubov Rozhanska was detained at Astana airport on October 1 following a request from Russia. Rozhanska, who had traveled from Istanbul to Kazakhstan, was reportedly detained in connection with a criminal investigation involving an alleged attempt to abduct her grandson.

The dispute centers on a child born in Odesa in 2018. After his mother moved to Russia’s Kaliningrad region in 2021, the child obtained Russian citizenship in 2022. While a Ukrainian Supreme Court ruling in March 2025 decreed the boy should live with his father in Odesa, the legal battle has escalated into an international incident.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Viktor Maiko, described the Russian security services' actions as an “outright provocation.” The Ukrainian Embassy is working with Kazakh officials to secure her release and has expressed categorical opposition to any demand by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) to deport Rozhanska to Russia, citing threats to her life and health. Reports indicate the Russian request may have been transmitted through the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Rozhanska is currently held in a pretrial detention facility in Astana.