A large-scale police operation is currently in progress to locate a young British boy who is suspected to have been taken by his Russian mother. The child’s British father raised the alarm by reporting him missing to authorities in Marbella. The search for the three-year-old, identified as Oliver Pugh, and his mother was ongoing as detectives confirmed the case as a “parental abduction”.
The Ministry of Interior in Spain released a photograph of Oliver, stating that he was born on November 3, 2021, and was last seen in Marbella on July 4. An appeal described the child as having grey eyes, blonde hair, standing at 85cm tall, and weighing 15kg.
A police spokesperson verified today that the child and his father are British, while the mother is Russian. The spokesperson stated, “We are treating this as a parental abduction. We believe the mother has left Spain with the child and returned to Russia.” Sources revealed that the parents are separated, and there was a court order prohibiting the mother from taking the child out of Spain.
The existence of an international arrest warrant for the mother was uncertain at the moment. Reports indicate that the father last heard from his son on July 4 but only reported the incident to the police on August 7. Any decision regarding an international arrest warrant for the mother would be made by a judge, although there was no confirmation from court officials regarding her status as a fugitive from Spanish justice.
Details about Oliver’s birthplace and custody arrangements remain undisclosed, and the parents have not been identified. The Ministry of Interior appeal, issued by the National Missing Persons Center, states, “Oliver went missing on July 4, 2025. His date of birth is November 3, 2021. He was three years old when he disappeared from Marbella, Malaga. He has grey eyes, blonde hair, is 85cm tall, and weighs 15kg.”