The dismissal of the criminal case did not help Lyudmila Borzilo return home.

The Orlovsky District Court of the Rostov Region has dropped the criminal prosecution of activist Lyudmila Borzilo for disclosing adoption secrets. However, her stay in a psychiatric hospital has been extended, and her family and lawyers have been unable to speak with the pregnant woman for a month.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Lyudmila Borzilo, a member of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation from the Rostov Region, complained that security forces had unfoundedly opened a criminal case against her, and that officials were attempting to place her children in an orphanage because of her civic activism. In March, the activist was placed under house arrest and then forcibly committed to a psychiatric clinic in Rostov-on-Don. During a court hearing on her complaint, Borzilo suffered a miscarriage. On April 15, the court softened her pretrial detention. Ultimately, the guardianship authorities withdrew the lawsuit to limit parental rights. The court, at the investigator's request, ordered that Lyudmila Borzilo, an activist from the Rostov region, be remanded to a psychiatric clinic after she was being held in a private clinic and placed on the wanted list. The court hearing for the disclosure of an adoption secret has begun. It is being held behind closed doors. Lyudmila is participating in the hearing via videoconference from the psychiatric hospital. A family with many children cannot afford a lawyer and is worried about Lyudmila's impending birth.

Lyudmila Borzilo, a mother of many children, remains in the closed ward of the Novocherkassk mental hospital, despite the Orlovsky District Court of the Rostov Region dropping the criminal prosecution against her under Article 155 of the Russian Criminal Code (disclosure of adoption secrets) on December 24. On December 29, her lawyers filed a complaint against the court's decision, by which the prosecutor's office and the Investigative Committee extended Borzilo's stay in the mental health center, relatives of Lyudmila Borzilo told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

One of Lyudmila Borzilo's relatives reported that Lyudmila is in the Novocherkassk mental health center, but her stay there is being extended by the Oryol Court of the Rostov Region. "Everything is being kept in the strictest secrecy, even from close relatives, which violates the law and the rights of Lyudmila Borzilo and her relatives," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to her, there has been no contact with the pregnant woman since the trial, and it is unknown whether the appeal for an extension of her stay has been accepted. Rostov Regional Duma Deputy Natalya Oskina told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that Borzilo has late gestosis (toxicosis of the second half of pregnancy - ed. "Caucasian Knot") and gestational diabetes. "She's due to give birth to a girl in two weeks." Oskina believes that despite the schizophrenia diagnosis that remains unexpunged and the court's decision to extend her stay at the Novocherkassk mental hospital, "after the birth of the child, the child and mother are expected to live with the family." She added that she doesn't know Borzilo's exact whereabouts at present, but according to her information, the activist is being kept "on guard."

Lyudmila Borzilo's husband, the father of many children, Sergei Borzilo, expressed concern: "I've even begun to doubt whether my wife is alive, since it's impossible to reach her by phone. I haven't heard her voice for a month. Neither lawyers, nor deputies, nor relatives can get to her. Everything is being kept completely secret from the family, the public, and the lawyers," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to him, Lyudmila has 2.5 weeks left before the birth, which is expected on January 15. He noted that investigators and the prosecutor's office continue to seek to declare his wife insane and keep her in a closed ward for continually extended periods.

A relative of Lyudmila expressed fears that after she gives birth in a psychiatric hospital, her child could be taken away from her.

The Borzilo family emphasizes that independent examinations confirm that Lyudmila has no mental illness, and that her non-disclosure has been proven in the criminal case.

"The lawyers say they can't do anything against the system, the deputies are doing everything in their power, they go to see her, but they won't let anyone in," Sergei Borzilo added.

The family also noted that the court ordered the district administration to provide 126 square meters of housing to a large family, but funding has not been allocated this year, and the decision is expected to be implemented only next year, according to officials.