Russian woman reunited with son after Taiwanese family allegedly abducts him

俄羅斯女子與被台灣家庭誘拐的兒子團聚

Russian woman allowed to see son one day after publicizing her case on Taiwan News


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Russian woman was finally able to see her son on Friday (Dec. 11) after his Taiwanese grandparents allegedly abducted him for over a week.

The 24-year-old victim, Anna Kuznetsova, alleges that the 38-year-old father of her son, surnamed Miaw, and his family, conspired to deceive her into signing the papers under false pretenses and without an English translation or legal counsel before kidnapping her child. After Taiwan News reported on her plight last week, Kuznetsova says that she received an enormous outpouring of support from readers and that she was finally able to see her son on Friday (Dec. 11).

Kuznetsova last saw her son on Dec. 3, when the Taiwanese grandparents took him on an unannounced "trip." It was not until that day she realized a Chinese-language document she had signed in January was actually adoption papers, and her desperate legal battle to regain custody of her son began.

After bringing her case to the public on Dec. 10, Kuznetsova says that she received many phone calls and emails from Taiwanese and foreign residents offering assistance. She told Taiwan News that she was shocked when Miaw messaged her on Friday and said she could pick up her son from kindergarten that day.

Out of gratitude for the major breakthrough, Kuznetsova said she would like to thank "the Taipei police, Moscow-Taipei Coordination Commission on Economic and Cultural Cooperation, the American Institute in Taiwan, and the Taiwan News organization for their tremendous help and patience during this terrifying circumstance." She said that the criminal investigation against the grandparents remains underway and that she will be attending court hearings to try and gain custody while the child's father continues to live in New York.

Miaw and his parents are facing charges for child abduction, and Kuznetsova said that she is communicating with her lawyers on filing a civil suit against the Miaw family this week. Since the legal papers are in Miaw's name, she must still bring her son back to the kindergarten, and the grandparents will take him to their home on Tuesday (Dec. 15).

She explained that because the custody documents are currently in Miaw's name, she must ask the grandparents for permission to see her son. She said that she will ask the court to vacate the adoption order and that because she and Miaw were never married, once the adoption order is annulled, she will obtain full custody.

Kuznetsova concluded that she also learned a valuable lesson about never signing documents in a foreign language when not fully understanding the content. She accused Miaw of trying to "scam" her out of the custody of her son and criticized his parents for coaxing her to come to Taiwan, only to later allegedly "kick her out" and treat her like her son's "nanny."

She added that others in similar predicaments have been inspired by her story:


"I am especially pleased that my story has inspired others to proceed through the legal system and fight for their rights. As parents, when your child is missing, we must reach out to the authorities for assistance. I am so grateful to the professor who reached out to me as well."


In other good news for Kuznetsova, she said that on Wednesday (Dec. 9) she received her Taiwan work permit, which allows her to work for 20 hours per week as she continues her studies of Mandarin.