Nina Kutina, a 40-year-old Russian woman found living in an isolated forest cave in Karnataka, was rescued by a police team from the Gokarna station on July 9. Her two daughters Preya (6) and Ama (4) were also rescued by the cops.
Details of how Kutina and her daughters managed to survive in a dangerous cave in the forested Ramatirtha Hill area of Gokarna for nearly two weeks have now emerged.
Their life in the forest
The trio 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.
According to a PTI report, Kutina revealed that she lived peacefully with her two young children, and spent her days painting, singing, and reading books.
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.”
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 homeschooled her kids
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.
Travelled across 20 nations, earned by making art, music videos
Kutina told PTI 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.
The Russian woman said she earned 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.”
Why didn’t she go home to Russia?
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 traveled 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.
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.”
Ex-husband seeks shared custody
Kutina’s ex-husband, an Israeli citizen, is demanding shared custody of their daughters, saying he wants to be a father to them.
“I just want to be able to see my daughters a few times a week and take care of them, too. My concern is that if they go to Russia now, it will get tougher to keep in touch with them. So, I wish they could stay in India,” Goldstein told PTI on July 16.
Dror Goldstein (38), who said he lives for nearly six months a year in Goa, said he had been living separately from Kutina for the last couple of years and that he “lost touch” with them when she took the daughters and left Goa a few months ago.
“I managed to find them on a beach in Gokarna, but Kutina refused to let me be with my children as I don’t live with them anymore,” added Goldstein.
He said he met Kutina in Goa around 2017 and they had been together, travelling between India and Ukraine, until they split.
