The mother of a missing British toddler, Oliver Pugh, has issued a cryptic message six weeks after allegedly vanishing with the three-year-old from a holiday hotspot in Spain. Spanish police believe Anastasiia Chikina, 32, abducted her son and fled to Russia after a Marbella court granted full custody to Oliver's British father earlier this summer.
Officers are now working with Interpol to obtain an international arrest warrant. From an undisclosed location, Ms Chikina posted online: 'We have a difficult conversation to have. Talk about how scary it is when the system is against the child.' Oliver's father, 36, who has not been named, told The Sun: 'We have no idea where they are – Oliver could be anywhere.'
Oliver vanished around July 20 and was last seen at his mother's home in Marbella. The father reported the disappearance on August 7 after phone calls stopped connecting and the property was left deserted. Also missing are Ms Chikina's mother, Angela Nikolenko, and her 15-year-old sister.
The father has offered an £87,000 reward for information and made a direct appeal to Ms Chikina, saying: 'Oliver needs and deserves to have both of his parents in his life. By taking him away, the only one truly being hurt is Oliver.' Ms Chikina, a Russian influencer with 140,000 social media followers, brands herself as a relationship coach.
Spanish police stated: 'We are treating this as a parental abduction. We believe the mother has left Spain and has taken the boy to her homeland which is Russia.' The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed it is providing support to the family.
