Russian media has entered a dispute concerning a missing British boy believed to have been abducted by his Russian mother. A state media commentator has asserted that the child is “Russian” and urged the Putin government to take all necessary actions to uphold the mother’s right to be with the child. The young boy, Oliver Pugh, has sparked a significant police search effort after disappearing from Marbella, located on the Costa del Sol.
Vladimir Kornilov, a Russian state propaganda media columnist funded by the Kremlin, expressed on his Telegram channel today: “There are suspicions that she [the mother] may have taken her son to Russia. This, however, has not been confirmed yet. But if this turns out to be true, it is essential to safeguard the mother’s right to be with her Russian child! If London identifies him as British, why can’t I consider him Russian using the same reasoning?”
He questioned, “How can one determine that the boy is British when his mother may think otherwise?” Oliver is described as 2ft 7in tall, with blonde hair and unique grey eyes. The Spanish National Police, treating the case as an abduction, has appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
A spokesperson stated, “We are treating this as a parental abduction. It is believed that the mother has left Spain with the child for her home country, Russia.” There has been no official statement from Russian authorities regarding the child’s presence in the nation. Oliver was last sighted in Marbella on July 4, but his father only reported him missing over a month later, on August 7.
The family of three reportedly resided on the Spanish coast, although the custody arrangement remains uncertain. Law enforcement has shared information about the suspected abductor, with investigators indicating that the incident is being treated as a “parental abduction,” implicating the child’s mother, who is a Russian citizen. The police confirmed that both Oliver and his father hold British citizenship, while the mother hails from Russia.
It remains unclear whether the boy possesses dual Russian citizenship or if an international arrest warrant has been issued for the mother. Russia typically declines to extradite its citizens. The Foreign Office is providing assistance to the family of the missing British child in Spain.