Ukrainian Embassy asks Kazakhstan not to extradite detained Ukrainian woman to Russia – MFA

The Ukrainian Embassy in Kazakhstan has implored Kazakhstani authorities not to hand over Ukrainian citizen Liubov Rozhanska to Russia, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Rozhanska was apprehended in Astana upon her arrival, after arriving to retrieve her grandson who was to be transferred from Russia. The Ukrainian Embassy alerted Kazakhstani officials immediately after learning of her detention.

They have also requested permission to meet with Rozhanska, who is currently in pretrial detention, and have been in communication with her legal representatives to provide necessary assistance. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with the consular department and the Embassy in Kazakhstan, are closely monitoring the situation, hoping for a fair assessment of the circumstances and the protection of the detained Ukrainian woman's rights.

Rozhanska is accused in Russia of allegedly abducting a child, a case that began in March 2022 when her second husband, a Russian citizen, sought to take their grandson from Odesa to Kaliningrad region. Despite legal proceedings and a warning from her lawyer about potential dangers, Rozhanska chose to travel to Kazakhstan, where she was detained at the airport.