Lyuda Kozina, here in her mother’s arms, was full of insect stings – © rr
Hundreds of volunteers spent four days scanning the forests around Smolensk, west of Moscow, looking for a missing little boy. Divers were snorkeling in rivers and reservoirs, and parents were ready to face bad news from the police. However, young Lyuda is found alive after seeing bears and wolves making their way through the forest. “I’ll never do that again,” she promised while her mother hugged her.
Lyuda Kozina got lost near her home in the Smolensk region, west of Moscow, where she was playing with her 4-year-old sister. Her mother went to look for her but could not find her. Only when night fell did the panic begin and a major search began. The girl was searched for four days and nights. With hundreds of aid workers and volunteers.
All possible scenarios were taken into account: drowned in a river, taken by an unknown person or attacked in the forest where bears and wolves live, approaching civilization.
On the fourth day, the emergency services began to lose all hope. Especially because she was wearing light clothes and had no food or drink with her. But then, while the rescuers were resting, one of the officers heard a creak under a pile of wood.
It turned out that the girl was especially afraid of her mother’s reaction. She was covered in bug bites and was a bit dehydrated but just fine.
Bears and wolves
She said she saw wolves and bears inside of her and that she was afraid, too.
When she was carried in her mother’s arms, she said, “I’ll never run away again, Mom.”
“How long you will remember this promise, I have no idea. But at least she says it,” laughed Antonina Kosina who was thrilled that her daughter had survived the strange adventure.
The little boy is now being cared for at a children’s hospital in Smolensk but will be able to go home soon.
Lyuda’s survival story reminds us of a three-year-old boy who lived 72 hours in 2016 in a Siberian forest that was also home to wolves and bears. Tserin Dopchut carried a small piece of chocolate, while Lyuda had absolutely no food or drink.
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