Ivan, Anastasiya and Uriy Lubichenko have finally been reunited with their little brother Maksim who was adopted out to a Kiwi family 17 years ago. Photo / Alex Gilbert
Ivan, Anastasiya and Uriy Lubichenko have finally been reunited with their little brother Maksim who was adopted out to a Kiwi family 17 years ago. Photo / Alex Gilbert
A Kiwi man has helped reunite four Russian siblings after they were separated 17 years ago.
Anastasiya Lubichenko posted on Alex Gilbert's I'm Adopted Facebook page last week that she was looking for her younger brother who they were separated from after their mother died in 1999.
Just 24 hours later, Gilbert was getting in touch with Lubichenko's Auckland-based brother, Maksim, after contacting his Kiwi adoption agency.
"He was born in June of 1999, in the Novokuznezk city, Kemerovsky region, Russia," Anastasiya wrote on the I'm Adopted page. "We were a family: mother, three boys and girl.
"Our mother was very ill and died later unfortunately. I was too young and couldn't look after my brothers."
Her brothers were then put in child care services from 2000 to 2002.
She found documents to show that he had been adopted by a family in New Zealand.
"Please help me to find our brother! I want only have possibility to communicate with him and know that he is fine, happy and I would like say him that he has sister and brother!" she wrote.
Alex Gilbert, of I'm Adopted, has been in New Zealand since being adopted by a Kiwi family aged 2. Photo / Alex Gilbert
Maksim told the Herald when he was first contacted he wasn't sure what to make of it.
"When I was contacted by them I did not believe it. I was thinking to myself is this real, or is someone playing me on?
"When I got more information about it I read the story that was sent to me and it matched with my story I had been told as a kid my whole life.
"I knew I had brothers and a sister, just not where or how old. I thought to myself this could be the real thing. So I messaged back first thing saying 'is this real?', and she said 'yes'."
Maksim said he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to find his siblings.
"I did not think I would find them, or if they would find me, but now they have and it's great. I am still in shock but very excited.
"With every spare minute I am messaging them and getting to know them more."
The siblings were now in regular touch with each other and hoped to one day meet face-to-face.
Gilbert said he was pleased that his project, which had been going for four years, was getting more international recognition and able to reunite lost relatives.
He was unsure how many relatives he'd help reunite, but he had been contacted by more than a 1000 people over the years.
