Political analysts point to risk of taking away children of Rostov Muslim woman in Grozny

The grandmother's intention to take her grandchildren to Grozny after their mother, a native of Rostov-on-Don, was accused of aiding terrorism, could turn into difficulties with their return, analysts believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the mother-in-law of Alyona, a native of Rostov-on-Don, who had converted to Islam, complained that her three grandchildren were taken off the train during their trip to Grozny and sent to an orphanage. A criminal case has been opened against Alyona for assisting terrorist activities. Israil Gadadov, her advocate, treats the seizure of children as illegal. The grandmother said that she achieved a meeting with her grandchildren at the orphanage.

The grandmother's decision to take the children to their relatives in Grozny could have turned into the fact that she would not have been able to take them back, Alexei Malashenko, a political analyst, believes. According to his version, there is an established opinion about Chechnya as a territory out of which "there is no way out."

Dmitry Oreshkin, a political analyst, sticks to a similar viewpoint. Chechnya has long been perceived throughout Russia as a "zone of special regime, living outside the law and the power of the Russian Constitution," he said.

Boris Altshuller, a rights defender, supports the opinion that law enforcers have taken the children away from Ekaterina (the grandmother) illegally. "On the contrary, usually, guardianship bodies welcome the grandparents and other relatives in their intention to be guardians, so that the child does not end up in an orphanage," he has noted.