Anna Smirnova only managed to temporarily return her children who had been taken to the North Caucasus Federal District.

Moscow Region resident Anna Smirnova found her sons in North Ossetia, whom her ex-husband had previously hidden in Dagestan and Chechnya. In December 2025, she managed to retrieve the children, but two weeks later, their father took the boys again to an unknown location. Bailiffs have reopened enforcement proceedings.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," in September 2025, it became known that bailiffs in Makhachkala had issued a search warrant for the ex-husband of Moscow Region resident Anna Smirnova and her two sons, whom he had taken to Dagestan. However, according to Smirnova herself, her children had already been taken to Chechnya. In November 2025, she went to Grozny to look for them, but the trip was unsuccessful – on the day of her visit, the children stopped showing up at school, and their whereabouts are unknown.

Anna Smirnova was able to return her sons in December 2025. "I managed to pick up the children with the help of bailiffs in Vladikavkaz—they did a fantastic job, finding him quickly. Because he was so indignant and causing a scene, he ended up in the police station overnight. And since the children were left alone, they were placed in a juvenile detention center for the night. I was notified immediately, and I flew in the next morning and picked them up," Smirnova told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to her, the time the boys spent with their father had a significant impact on their psychological state. "During the time the children were with him, he managed to really get the children worked up. The only thing he gave them was judo training. Psychologists who spoke with them said there was very strong induction (the formation of a person's point of view on a phenomenon or event under the influence of a person with whom they are emotionally connected - Caucasian Knot note). One of the psychologists even said that I needed to severely limit contact with my father. "In the 15 days we were together, I managed to partially return the situation to normal, to help them understand what family, relatives, etc. are," she said.

According to Smirnova, her ex-husband found them on January 2. "He was following my father, and that's how he found me. And anyway, it's hard to hide with four children, the youngest of whom is one and a half years old. So we were walking, he came out from around the corner, called out – and the sons ran to him, clung to him and wouldn't let go. I realized I needed to let go of the situation, and we tried to come to an agreement, but it didn't work out. We stayed with my parents for two days, and on January 4, he took the sons, said he would go get his things, come back, and we would sign a settlement agreement. But he didn't come back and didn't sign," she emphasized.

Smirnova said that she contacted the bailiffs again, and proceedings for the transfer of the children were reopened.

13:56 30.04.2025

Maria Smelaya is one of the mothers separated from her children in the Caucasus

In the North Caucasus, mothers are often separated from their children after divorcing their husbands. Even court orders and bailiff visits do not guarantee that the mother will be able to see her child. One of the most recent cases is that of Maria Smelaya.

The organization "Motherless Caucasus" noted that Anna is demonstrating "amazing resilience." "She was only able to be picked up in Ossetia." Trips to Dagestan and Chechnya were less successful, but they drew attention to her persistence, the organization stated.

Motherless Caucasus also emphasized that, in their opinion, the fact that Anna Smirnova's ex-husband was unable to gain a foothold in Chechnya
played a role in the fact that he is not Chechen. "Perhaps representatives of Chechnya do not like the fact that their region is being used as a haven for child kidnappers," she stated.

Anna Smirnova's ex-husband, Dmitry, categorically refused to comment on the situation.

As a reminder, Anna Smirnova's ex-husband, Dmitry Smirnov, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent in May 2025 that the children were living with him "with their full consent." Smirnov subsequently wrote on WhatsApp* that he had not consented to communication and suggested sending an official request for comment in writing. The Caucasian Knot editorial team sent a request to Smirnov via WhatsApp*, but he did not respond.