Maria Smelaya was forced to give up custody of her child to the father.
Krasnodar resident Maria Smelaya agreed to leave custody of the boy's father and received the right to see the child for a few hours every two weeks. She said the decision was forced: after two years of separation, her son had become attached to his father and no longer recognizes her, and protracted court proceedings are very difficult and expensive.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot," on April 25, 2025, the Prikubansky District Court of Krasnodar approved interim measures in Maria Smelaya's lawsuit and ordered the immediate return of her child, who is presumably in Chechnya. Smelaya had previously visited the address in Chechnya where her son is registered, but the house was empty. Smelaya's son, whom the court ordered returned to his mother, is, according to her, not with his father, but with an unrelated woman. Maria reported threats from strangers posing as her ex-husband.
In May 2024, 33-year-old Maria Smelaya was placed in a shelter for women suffering from domestic violence. She appealed to human rights activists to protect her from her husband. The violence, she said, began shortly after their trip to Grozny to visit her husband's relatives and their marriage. Maria's story is one of many in the North Caucasus, where mothers struggle for years to even see their children, according to a Caucasian Knot report "Maria Smelaya is one of the mothers separated from their children in the Caucasus."
Smelaya Reaches Settlement Agreement
Maria Smelaya's story ended with a settlement. After years of grueling trials and repeated court proceedings, Maria Smelaya was forced to agree to scheduled visits with her own child," reported the human rights project "Motherless Caucasus."
On April 13, the Prikubansky District Court of Krasnodar approved a settlement agreement between Maria Smela and her ex-husband. Their three-year-old son will remain with his father, the statement said.
Under the terms of the settlement, the mother has the right to see her child twice a month - on the second and fourth Saturdays from 12 to 18.
After two years of litigation, she was forced to make concessions.
Maria called the decision forced. According to her, she did everything she could, but the forces were unequal. "A lot of tears and effort. Courts are difficult and expensive <...> "I reached a settlement because the child doesn't recognize me; he asks my name," she is quoted as saying in the publication.
She explained that during the court proceedings, the child had become attached to his father. "To avoid traumatizing him and separating him from his father, I agreed to a settlement," Smelaya noted.
According to her, the child support claims filed in court were dismissed.
She also said that after the court proceedings, she was allowed to see the child. "The child is already accessible to me. He has grown a lot, he is already talking," the human rights group Marem quotes her as saying.
Posts on Maria's Instagram* channel, cited by human rights activists, are only available to subscribers.
"Very sad news. But it is very difficult for a woman to resist a system that is initially stacked against her. Maria had to wade through not only lies and administrative obstacles, but also through hate from people who like to "explain" who shouldn't give birth. "We sympathize with Maria and wish her strength," the human rights group Marem commented on the court's decision.
As a reminder, Alina Alekseytseva, the second wife of the ex-husband of Krasnodar resident Maria Smelaya, filed a complaint against her for the theft of her watch. Investigators have launched a criminal investigation. Alina Alekseytseva also previously complained to human rights activists that a native of Chechnya, Sh., beats her and their children.
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Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/422653
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