KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV)-Lana Borysov beams when she talks about her 3-year-old son Andrew.
“Andrew likes Paw Patrol right now. He loves Paw Patrol! And he loves to go to the highest peaks. We’ll climb the playground together and tumble off it. But he is so adventurous! Lana said.
Lana said her marriage was falling apart and there were discussions about divorce and shared custody. Her husband is Ukrainian and has struggled with immigration to the US. She knew that custody could mean Andrew living in the UK. You said you never saw Dubai coming.
“I considered it a kidnapping because he didn’t tell me he was taking him to Dubai, out of state out of the country, let alone Dubai,” Lana said.
Lana says she thought her son was on a day trip to Lincoln, Missouri with her husband and parents. She found her car at the airport and quickly realized they had fled the country.
She is currently allowed to zoom and talk to Andrew on a limited basis, but she can’t ask her father serious questions or the call ends abruptly.
He says Andrew was excited about the adventure at first, but now he seems confused.
“He was like, ‘Mom is hiding. Where’s mum?’ And she will hide in the dark and she will talk to me. I’m like, ‘Andrew, I’m not hiding. Mommy is here, but Mommy can’t be there right now.” I don’t want to tell my child something that he won’t understand. You were kidnapped and they took you without my permission. Like, you don’t tell a kid,” Lana said.
Lana has contacted the Overland Park police and is asking for help from lawyers.
She decided to go public to help with expenses and get support.
Lana is a US citizen. She was born in Russia. Her son Andrew is also a US citizen.
According to the Justice Department, international custody cases like these happen every day. Many are resolved peacefully through appropriate international agreements under the Hague Convention.
However, it only applies if both countries involved are signatories to the Convention. Dubai is not a member.
The Center for Missing and Exploited Children says that about a quarter of all family abduction cases have an international component.
For more KCTV5 Investigations stories, click here.
