My son's ashes taken away, says Russian woman found in Gokarna cave; father of kids traced

Nina Kutina, the 40-year-old Russian woman, who was rescued from a remote cave near Gokarna in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district, told the media that she spent her days painting, singing, reading books, and living peacefully with her two young children.

She reportedly claimed that she gave birth to one of her daughters while residing in a cave in Goa and that an Israeli businessman is the father of both children.

Kutina (40) and her two young children, Preya (6) and Ama (4) were found on July 11 living in a secluded cave in the Ramatirtha hills of Kumta taluk, where they had stayed in complete isolation for nearly two weeks.

She had travelled from Russia to India on a business visa and reached the sacred coastal town of Gokarna via Goa.

The family eventually moved deep into the forest, where they made a natural cave their home amidst dense woods and steep terrain.

Harmonious life

In an interview with PTI, Kutina revealed that she is a mother of four and has been travelling for the past 15 years.

“Over the past 15 years, I’ve been to around 20 countries. My children were all born in different places. I delivered all of them myself, without hospitals or doctors, because I know how to do it. No one helped me, I did it alone,” she said.

Describing her life in the cave, she said, “We woke up with the sun, swam in rivers, and lived in nature. I cooked on a fire or gas cylinder depending on the season, and got groceries from a nearby village. We painted, sang songs, read books, and lived peacefully.”

Safe in nature

Speaking to ANI, Nina said she had lost her son a long time ago, and clarified that she "did not come to Gokarna in search of spirituality but because nature promotes good health."

She insisted there was no threat to her or her children’s lives while they lived in the cave. “We have a lot of experience staying in nature, in the jungle. We were not dying, and I did not bring my daughters so that they would die here. They were very happy, swimming in the waterfall, a very good place for sleeping" she told the news agency.

Defending her decision to live in the cave, she said she had travelled to at least 20 countries and spent time living in forests over the years. "The cave was not inside a thick forest and it was also not small. It had a window type (opening) from where we could see the ocean. What more do you want?” she told the media, adding that she has travelled to Costa Rica, Malaysia, Bali, Thailand, Nepal and Ukraine.

Contrary to police claims, she maintained that her visa had only expired “recently” and not in 2017. “After 2017, we travelled to four other countries before returning to India,” she told ANI.

Everything shown on TV false

Responding to concerns about her current condition, Kutina said, “We are now kept in an uncomfortable place. It’s dirty, there’s no privacy, and we get only plain rice to eat. Many of our belongings were taken, including the ashes of my son who passed away nine months ago.”

She also alleged that news reports have misrepresented their life. “Everything shown on TV about us is false. I have videos and photos that show how clean and happy our life was before,” she said.

Kutina said she is a trained teacher in art and Russian literature, and that she personally educates her children. “They are very smart, healthy, and talented. Everyone who meets them says so,” she said, adding that her children have not attended school but will be formally homeschooled with official documents in the future.

Kutina said she earns by making art and music videos, and occasionally teaches or babysits.

“I earn money through all these activities. And if I don’t have any work, if I can’t find anyone who needs what I can offer, then my brother, my father, or even my son helps me. So we always have enough money for what we need."

Multiple personal losses

Asked why she didn’t return to Russia, Kutina replied, “There have been many complicated reasons. First, there were multiple personal losses - not just the death of my son, but also a few other close people. We were constantly dealing with grief, paperwork, and other problems.” She said she has travelled to four other countries and then came back to India “because we love India deeply - its environment, its people, everything”.

Kutina confirmed that she is now in contact with the Russian Embassy, which is helping her family. Authorities revealed that her visa had expired in 2017. She is currently being held at a detention centre in Bengaluru.

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Israeli father traced

Meanwhile, an official of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) told the news agency that they have managed to track down the father of the kids, an Israeli national who is currently in India on a business visa.

The FRRO officials reportedly spoke with him to check whether he could sponsor tickets for Nina and her two children.

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The Israeli man, said to be in his 40s, had reportedly met Nina a long time ago, and the two fell in love. “So, he is the father of the children who were with Nina. He is in the clothing business. We have been able to meet him," an official told The Indian Express.

People in the know said that Nina was initially reluctant to disclose any information regarding the children's father. However, with assistance from counsellors, she eventually opened up and gave details of an Israeli national with whom she said she was in a relationship.

Nina is reportedly said to have met the Israeli man in 2017 or 2018, after which he returned to his country. The FRRO officials have contacted the Russian consulate, and it is expected to take nearly a month to complete all formalities and deport the woman and her children.

“She has another child back in Russia and we have informed the Consul General of Russia in Chennai,” an official reportedly said.

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