Two families are locked in a dispute over the custody of an eight-month-old girl in the Bolotninsky district of the Novosibirsk region, a case that has drawn public attention after being featured on the “Male / Female” program on Channel One. The child was initially removed from her biological parents and placed under temporary guardianship, sparking a legal and emotional battle between the families.

The grandmother of the child, Nina Ishchenko, has been trying for four months to regain custody of her granddaughter, Galya. The child was taken from the biological family due to concerns about the parents’ ability to provide adequate care, citing the mother’s disability and the father’s alleged criminal history and unemployment. Neighbors also reportedly claimed that the parents were not fulfilling their responsibilities and that the grandmother abused alcohol.

Following the removal of the child, she was placed in the care of Sergei and Alexandra Ilyin, a couple who had been on the waiting list for guardianship for a year and a half. The Ilyins are determined to retain custody of Galya, expressing concerns about the potential dangers the child might face if returned to her biological family. They completed foster parent training and were granted temporary guardianship with the possibility of future adoption.

The case has raised questions about the procedures followed by guardianship authorities. On the program, it was revealed that the child was taken from the family and immediately placed under guardianship at just four months old, which prompted questions from the host, Yulia Baranovskaya, about the standard practice.

According to Nina Ishchenko, her daughter Nadya, the child’s mother, suffered a severe accident in 2021, resulting in a disability. She believes this disability was unfairly used against her in determining her fitness as a parent. The grandmother claims that the guardianship authorities were called after a quarrel between Nadya and her second husband, Andrei, the child’s father.

Nadezhda, the child’s mother, expressed her distress over the situation, stating that her child was well-cared for while in their home. Psychiatrist-narcologist Miroslava Chernyshova, who also appeared on the program, stated that Nadezhda’s diagnosis following her traumatic brain injury is not grounds for deprivation of parental rights. The child’s father reportedly does not want the daughter to return to the family.