Join us in protecting Zhanna and her child

When you live in the United States, it is often easy to forget the suffering, violence, and everyday danger that is rife in so many far-flung countries embroiled in war, conflict, and political unrest. While we are not fully shielded from such atrocities, we are certainly fortunate we don't have to live in fear of the next missile strike or humanitarian crisis. It's not often we get the opportunity to challenge a legal precedent, formalized in 1907, when the Hague Conventions were adopted... but if you are reading this, you now have that opportunity.

For context: a federal judge recently decided that Zhanna, a Ukrainian refugee and young mother in our community, is to return her precious 3-year-old daughter to war-torn Ukraine and the custody of her abusive ex-husband. Back in 2022, Zhanna and her daughter came to Bozeman by way of North Americans for Ukraine, an organization that seeks to provide resettlement opportunities to Ukrainians who have been displaced as a result of the war. She and her daughter left their homes, extended families, animals, and country to seek legal refuge in the United States. Having lost her life savings seemingly overnight when the Ukrainian currency lost its value at the outset of the war, Zhanna has worked tirelessly to assimilate and provide for herself in this community. She is learning English, working as a dental technician, volunteering at Bozeman Health, and studying to become accredited in the United States to practice dentistry (as she was a dentist in Ukraine). At the age of 26, she has been forced to suffer a kind of stress and trauma that no mother—or human—should ever have to bear. But in spite of it all, she remains stoic, determined, and a person of strong character and faith, who is deeply motivated to protect her daughter and become a contributing member of our community. While Zhanna's immediate need is financial assistance to help with the astronomical legal costs associated with fighting this case to protect her daughter, she is also in need of advocacy and support on a massive scale. We do hope this decision may be overturned in the upcoming appeals process.

Zhanna was peacefully rebuilding a life for herself and her daughter until this past August, when she was unexpectedly served with a lawsuit brought by her ex-husband (who continues to reside in Ukraine) which claims that Zhanna abducted their child. The ex-husband’s case, which was filed in federal district court, suggests that Zhanna illegally removed their daughter from her country of habitual residence and required that she return to Ukraine—regardless of the grave risk of such a move. The federal judge in this case was aware that the ex-husband willingly escorted Zhanna and her daughter to the train station in their hometown of Odesa two years ago so that they could flee to neighboring Moldova. The judge also knows that, on average, Odesa gets hit with a missile, drone strike, or bomb every sixth day, and he knows that air raid sirens go off no less than once every three days in the other cities. A return to an existence that is defined by fear of air raid sirens and explosions would be deeply damaging for both Zhanna and her child. It's unfathomable.

It is our understanding that the ex-husband has hired an attorney pro bono to represent him. Because the case involves a complicated international human rights dispute in federal court, dozens of expert witnesses, multiple translators, and two local lawyers, it will be a financially costly one, to say nothing of the emotional toll it will surely take on Zhanna and her daughter. We have raised roughly $34,000 for Zhanna to date, which has gone directly towards these mounting legal expenses. However, the bills continue to roll in and Zhanna needs our help. We now graciously ask for your assistance in helping to alleviate some of these costs so Zhanna can focus on being a mother to her dear child and winning the case in the United States Court of Appeals. Should the appeal be awarded, this would be the first case in history to overturn the Hague Convention. This is our opportunity to help our Zhanna make history, and to pave the way for the future safety and protection of mothers and children around the world in cases like these.

If you are not able to make a financial contribution, we hope you will consider other ways to help influence this case and keep Zhanna and her daughter safe here in Bozeman, Montana. Please share this link with friends. Thank you, from the very bottom of our hearts, for whatever form of support you are able to offer.