Russian Anastasiia Chikina took to social media to poke fun at the investigation into her alleged kidnapping of her British son from Marbella, and her estranged husband’s appeal
The Russian mum accused of abducting her British son has taken to social media to mock search efforts as authorities try to pinpoint where she is.
Anastasiia Chikina, 32, vanished from Marbella, Spain[1] on July 4 with her three-year-old son Oliver Pugh, prompting an immediate manhunt and terrifying the youngster’s British dad, 36-year-old Matthew Pugh. Authorities have been so far unable to track down the duo, with confusion growing over whether they are currently in Moscow or Malaysia[2].
Chikina has only helped muddy the waters around the investigation, having mocked police with photos and alluding to a “date” while her estranged husband frets over his son’s fate.
READ MORE: Oliver Pugh hunt: Missing Brit boy may now be in Thailand[3]READ MORE: Mum who ‘abducted’ Brit boy, 3, from Marbella breaks silence with cryptic post[4]
The mum mocked efforts to find her in a series of posts on social media, in one saying she was on a “date” in Kuala Lumpur, where she is shown in photos. She could be seen posing alongside her sister Daria with the world[5] famous Petronas Twin Towers in the background.
Among the other locations was SKY51, a rooftop bar touted as one of the Malaysian territory’s “trendiest” and “most happening”. But in other geotagged posts she suggested she was in Russia’s capital.
She has poked fun at her husband’s offer of a reward for information that could lead to his son’s safe return in comments under some of her posts. In one she joked to a follower: “Nowadays they’re offering as much as 100,000 [euros] for any info. Guess I should be sitting in a bunker and being afraid.”
Speaking to a follower on Telegram, she joked that she also “went on a date”, saying: “I went on a date, got some distraction – feel that I’m not ready to build anything yet.”
An earlier picture of a shopping mall with a Cartier shop in the background suggests Anastasiia was in the Thai capital Bangkok. The boy’s father along with Spanish police earlier expressed the fear that she had taken the boy to Russia[6]. The family had a luxurious life in Spain before problems arose.
Mr Pugh suggested his wife went on the run because she might have lost custody of the boy in Spain from where she and the child disappeared in the summer.
She has posted messages emphasising she has the wellbeing of her son as her main priority. She also highlights that various European countries including Britain have different ground rules over caring for children. Spanish police are seeking Anastasiia on suspicion of abduction and are working through Interpol.