The girl, abandoned by her mother at Antalya airport, was returned to Russia

A girl whose mother is serving a 15-year prison sentence in Turkey for abandoning her newborn at Antalya Airport has been returned to Russia. This was announced on June 12 by Maria Lvova-Belova, the Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights.

"Baby Nicole returned to her homeland from Turkey — in October last year, her mother gave birth and left her at Antalya airport. The woman was detained and a criminal case was opened. And the girl was taken to a local hospital," she wrote on her Telegram channel.

According to the Ombudsman, the Russian Consulate General in Antalya issued the child a birth certificate and Russian citizenship, and diplomats appealed to Lvova-Belova with a request to help the girl return to Russia.

The Commissioner for Children's Rights under the President of the Russian Federation thanked the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Moscow Region, as well as the Russian Embassy in Turkey and the Society of Russian-speaking Orthodox Believers of Antalya province for their assistance.

In October last year, 18-year-old Russian Ekaterina Burnashkina gave birth in the bathroom of Antalya airport and left the baby there to die. The girl survived due to the fact that she was found 12 minutes after the incident.

A criminal case was opened against Burnashkina. She stated that she did not know about the pregnancy, but later expressed a desire to take the girl to Russia, as she is a citizen of the Russian Federation.

On February 24, a Turkish court sentenced Burnashkina to 15 years in prison on charges of attempted murder of a close relative.