- 'I'm Alex Gilbert, and I spent the first two years of my life 'in a Russian orphanage. 'In 1994, I was adopted...' - Sasha. '...and brought to New Zealand.' (GIGGLES) 'I had a great Kiwi childhood, 'but I couldn't help feeling like something was missing. 'So eight years ago, I set out to find my birth family.' Privyet. Hello. - (MUFFLED LAUGHTER) 'It was the best decision of my life...' Hello. - Hello, hello. '...and now I help others do the same.' So, how can I help? - I have tried to look for my family, and I've no luck. - Do you have any memories from the orphanage? - No. I can't remember a single thing. - 'Countless people across the world just like me 'want to reconnect with their missing families.' - We're really happy for her. - Hey. (CHUCKLES) - Welcome to Saint Petersburg. - VOICE BREAKS: It's more emotional than what I've ever considered. - Good luck. - (SOBS) - 'Join us on these amazing journeys as we cross continents 'to see families reunited.' www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2022 (PENSIVE MUSIC) 'I'm on familiar territory today, in the far south of New Zealand.' My grandma lives here in Invercargill, and I've spent lots of family time down here. But today isn't about my family. Anya, hello. - CHUCKLES: Hello. - So nice to see you. - You too. - Shall we go for a work? - Sure. - 'I'm meeting 27-year-old adoptee Anya Gibson...' Take a seat. '...and it's not for the first time.' Now, you know that we did actually meet here over 20 years ago? Just over there. - Did we? - Yeah. - Really? - Yeah. I got a photo. Have a look. - Oh. Oh, look at that. We were so little. - Do you remember that? - Uh, no. Can't say I do. - You don't? - No. (CHUCKLES) No, sorry. - I remember it very clearly. It would've been the first time that I'd ever meet anybody else adopted in Invercargill. - Oh. - 'Anya may not remember me, but she does have vivid memories 'of her childhood in a Russian orphanage.' - I can walk into somebody's house and they're cooking like mince and mashed potatoes (CHUCKLES) and it just takes me back to the orphanage. It's really weird. To me! (WHISTLES) Come here! - 'Now married, with three children of her own...' - Good try. That was just about. - '...Anya was brought to Invercargill as a 4-year-old.' - I have some awesome memories growing up in New Zealand. A lot of time at the beach. Lots of good memories. Spending a lot of time with cousins, and barbeques and lunches and sausages and bread. (LAUGHS) And tomato sauce. - Got mayo. - 'Family has been a big part of Anya's life in New Zealand.' - 'We are a close family.' (LAUGHTER) 'There's four of us that are adopted. Me and my brother Matthew,' we're two years apart, and we were adopted at the same time, when I was 4. - So we've always had our sort of bond, growing up together. - Best buds. (LAUGHS) Um, to this day. - Yeah, nah, she's good value. (CHATTER, LAUGHTER) Great sister. Very loyal. She will have your back 110% ` which is good, which is what you want in family. - Look at her eyes and stuff. - 'Ross and Marnie Armitage couldn't imagine a life without children, 'so when they couldn't conceive, they first tried to adopt in New Zealand.' - Hm. - For a start, you think, 'Oh,' every phone call, 'Oh, this is gonna be it. It's gonna be a baby.' And then after a while, you think, 'Oh, it's never gonna happen.' - Then a chance meeting introduced Marnie to my mum. Mum told her about adopting my brother and I, Andrei, from Russia. - There'd been other people who'd gone before us, and, um... we'd met` as, um` - Alex and Andrei's mum. - Mum. And so we'd seen that this could happen. - Look! - (GIGGLES) - And then once we got the information, I ran with it. He was busy working, and I ran with it. But, um, yeah. It was good. - And I would count it as being probably the bravest thing we've ever done. - (BOTH LAUGH) - Yeah, that's` - Yeah. - Yeah, that's right. It was, yeah. It is. - Yeah. - (LAUGHS) - 'Pictures and a video...' - MAN: Anya. - '...soon arrived from Russia.' - So, we saw this little picture of this little girl. She was all dressed up for the photographs in her Thomas the Tank Engine pyjamas, with her shaved head. - Had had nits. And so, the quickest way in an orphanage to get rid of nits is to shave hair, so they just shaved your head. So, yeah, I was bald. (BROODING MUSIC) There's a whole... weight behind those big sad eyes. (INDISTINCT CHATTER IN RUSSIAN) It's like` You look at it and you think, 'Ohh, she's` looks like she's hurt.' And, 'Can you` Can you be her mum?' - 'But there was just something about this little girl 'that already had Marnie and Ross hooked.' - Oh, we just pored over and rewatched and rewatched the video of her coming in and talking in this little soft voice. - MAN IN RUSSIAN: - Anya. - I think when you` - You're beginning to bond, actually, by watching that video. - MAN: Anya. - Anya. - You're connected to her because of it. It was good. - 'The trip to Russia was a big adventure for the Armitages, 'on their first overseas trip together.' - We were there for two months. We thought the whole procedure would go through in that time, but it didn't. (CHUCKLES) - Mum and Dad spent weeks visiting me every day. They spent a lot of time (CHUCKLES) at the orphanage with me. - Here we are, Ross, waiting... - Hello. - And I would get told, 'This is gonna be your new mama and papa. 'They're gonna take you home. You're gonna be their child.' And then one day, they just stopped turning up. - The man that would sign it all off ` it was the summer holidays, so he was gone. - 'Ross and Marnie had run into a bureaucratic roadblock in Saint Petersburg.' - They said, 'The adoption's not gonna go through, because the governor's on holiday. 'Nothing's gonna be signed. You may as well go home.' And we were like, 'What?' (CHUCKLES) Anya was 3-and-a-half, coming 4. She knew we were gonna be... - Yep. - ...her mama and papa. She was` connected us with that, and we were connected with her, and we thought, 'Well, 'we're gonna carry on trying to adopt her.' - 'And we'll come back for her.' - ANYA: Mum and Dad had to travel home. - We tried to get the caregivers to tell her what was going on. - They explained to me, but of course, in a 4-year-old's mind... I didn't understand. And I remember getting out of bed in the middle of the night and going to the window and looking for them and wondering why they weren't there. - Which is... - Yeah. - ...awful. But, you know. - That was hard. And I used to get punished, cos I used to get caught out of bed looking for them. Uh, soap in the mouth was the punishment. (CHUCKLES TEARFULLY) They shouldn't call it 'a cake' of soap. It doesn't taste very nice. (CHUCKLES) Yeah. - 'Although things had ground to a halt in Saint Petersburg, 'Ross and Marnie were able to travel to a different area to adopt Matthew 'before they returned to New Zealand.' - We had decided to adopt two children because we thought it'd be good to have a family and it might be our only opportunity. And, um, we wanted a boy and a girl. We adopted our son Matthew and came home with him. - They saw her first, but I got` got across the ditch quicker. (CHUCKLES) So... - I have been told I was very put out and sulked. - 'Marnie had to make two more trips to Russia before Anya finally arrived safely in Invercargill.' - I remember getting off the aeroplane at Invercargill, and there was a big group of people waiting for me. - ...friends and family here to welcome you home. Got her to have a wee rest, and she had a tear. And I thought, 'Aww.' She'd come out of Russia and she'd been on this big plane... It was just like, 'Ohhh...' - Mm. - Tough. - Mm. - Mm. Mm. But she's stoic. She got there. Mm. - Mm. - I don't think I could've done what Mum and Dad did. Um, I don't think I'm strong enough to be able to do that. So I take my hat off to them. It was pretty big. - And` And she held Ross... - (LAUGHS) - 'I've got my father.' - Yeah. - She was so hap` proud of herself. - Mm. It was a bit of a show-off. - It was, yeah. - 'The new additions to the Armitage family caused quite a stir in the local community.' - She got a lot of attention from being from Russia, and, uh, that was exciting. And... And people were very kind, weren't they? - I did feel different, but I took pride in being different. (CHILDREN SHOUT, LAUGH) My children don't know much about Russia, but they do know that I'm from Russia, and they know that I'm adopted. They know they have a connection to Russia, and for me, it's really important they know who they are. - I'm actually quite proud of being part Russian, myself. - I don't tell them I'm part of Russian. - Well, you're my sister, so they know. - Finding out more about my Russian heritage would be amazing. They're my family, so... And family. There's family. (PENSIVE MUSIC) - So, Anya, what do you know of your birth family? - I know that I had, um, a mum and dad who passed away. My mum died of heart failure, and I believe my father committed suicide on Christmas Eve the same year. I have a grandmother, um, and a brother and sister who I'm trying to reconnect with. Um, at the age of 3 or 4, I was put into an orphanage by my grandmother. Um, but my brother and sister continued staying with her. - MAN WITH RUSSIAN ACCENT: Er, she's available for adoption because she's an orphan. - I'm not sure why I was put in an orphanage and not them. It might've been easier on my grandma. - Anya. - Anya. My brother and sister were 15-plus years older than me. - And you've been back to Russia? - Yes. So, I went back when I was 10. - MARNIE: Where are we going? - Russia. - To Russia! - Whoo! - Today's the day! - (LAUGHS) Yay! It's taken a while, hasn't it? - Yeah, but it's really great. - Yeah, it is. - 'In 2002, Anya's parents wanted to adopt again, 'and the kids went with them.' - ROSS: And here's Anya ` first night in Russia. - ANYA: Being 10 and being a little bit older, that's where a lot of my memories of Russia come from. - MARNIE: Anya and Matthew are happy. They've had a good sleep each. - ANYA: We actually managed to visit my grandmother and my brother at the time. - MARNIE: Look at this beautiful feast. She put on a lovely afternoon tea, and she'd gone all out. Beautiful. - ROSS: Oh, she was over the moon. - IN VIDEO: It's amazing. - Wasn't she? - She was, yeah. She was happy to see her. (INDISTINCT CHATTER) - ROSS: And Anya's brother was there. - My sister wasn't available, so I didn't manage to meet her, but at that point, we got to know a little bit more of my story. - Margarita is father's mother. - That's right. - 'With the help of an interpreter, 'the family filled in some details of Anya's story.' - Took great pains to sort of try and explain why she put her in the children's home, because obviously that was a difficult decision to make. - (SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - INTERPRETER: My husband die six years ago. - Oh. - Oh. - Was that about the same time...? - Oh. Same time as Anya. - ...that Anya was in the children's home? - Mm. - INTERPRETER: I had to be their guardian. - Yes. - They were 17, 13 and 3. - There was a` quite an age gap, so we could understand why the grandmother was... had put Anya in the orphanage. - (WOMAN SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - ANYA: I also had club feet, and I needed surgery to be able to walk. - MAN: ...cast on the legs. - The only way that she could afford to give me that surgery was to put me in an orphanage and let the government take over the medical care of me and my feet. - MAN: She can walk. - I felt like she held a lot of guilt for what she'd done, what she thought was best. And I just... I` I'd want to tell her that it was OK. I don't` I don't hold any resentment, I don't... feel angry at her, and I know that I have a much better life over here than what I would have over there. Russia is a hard country, and they would have lived a hard life, and I know that when I visited them... You could see that on my brother's face ` when I meet him at 10, you could tell that he had had a hard life and it wasn't easy for him. I'd just like her to know that it would be` that it was OK. - So, how can I help? - Well, it's been 17 years since I last had any contact with any of my family. And we had a translator who we had used for years, and when I came back from Russia, he had` he passed away the following year, and so we actually lost contact with my family. I have tried myself ` trying to look for them through social media and stuff, and I've had no luck. - It's big part of you and your family. But why now? - My children. Uh, this isn't just about me any more; it's about them knowing their heritage and knowing where they come from and who their family is as well. - I think` Yeah` Yeah, we have two grandmas. - Pretty sure we have like three. - Well, it's been 17 years, and to be honest, it is gonna be a hard search, but we can see what we can do... - Yup. - ...and hopefully we can make that happen. - Thank you. - 'Anya's case is an unusual one. 'Her birth parents died when she was very young, 'and the translator who was their only point of contact is also dead. 'I've a feeling this is not going to be an easy search. 'I just hope we can find someone ` anyone ` from Anya's family.' - MAN: Anya. - Anya. - 'Adopted from Russia aged 4...' (CHILD LAUGHS) - '...young Invercargill mum Anya is proud of her Russian heritage.' - I did feel different, but I took pride in being different. - Ah! (HITS SCULPTURE) - 'She wants her children to know more about their family background....' - They know they have a connection to Russia. - '...and she's reached out to me for help in reconnecting with lost siblings.' - I'm really hoping to find my brother and my sister. Hopefully they have children. I'd love to be, um, an aunty to some children. (CHUCKLES) - 'Anya's birth parents are both dead...' - MARNIE: Look at this beautiful feast. - '...but she has a video of meeting her grandmother and her brother 'on a family trip to Russia when she was 10. 'But after this trip, she lost contact when the interpreter, 'who had been the go-between, suddenly died. 'Anya's given me all the documents her adopted parents had kept, 'and now I'm trying to fit all the pieces together. 'But as I manage to connect Anya's information with official documents, 'I'm getting answers that don't make sense.' I'm back here in Invercargill to see Anya, and what I'm about to tell her could change her life. (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC) (KNOCK ON DOOR) Hello. - CHUCKLES: Hi, Alex. Come in. - Oh, thank you. How are you? - Good. - So, I've been doing some research and trying to find information on your family in Russia... - Yeah. - ...and the interesting thing is it's been really hard to find any supporting evidence that you are related to your brother or sister. - CHUCKLES: Oh, really? - Yeah. - Yeah. - It's very` It's a very tricky case. - Yeah. - They might not be related to you. - Uh, that's a bit of a shock. Uh... Surprised, to be fair. I thought that it was a bit` Like, I've always know` well, I thought I've always known that they were my brother and sister. Like, quite black and white. I thought that` Yeah, but that surprises me. - Yeah. - The fact that they may not be... (VOICE TREMBLES) um... that would be hard. Um` - I'm not saying that they are not your brother and sister yet. - Yep. - We just need to find that connection... - Yep. - ...because at the moment, it doesn't stack up. Even in regards to your grandma. - Yeah. - All of that about the address that you were staying at before you went to the orphanage, it just doesn't make any sense at the moment. - But there's obviously some` some family connection. And if they're not my brother and sister, then who are they? And, yeah, where do I fit in? - That's the thing that we're trying to work out. - Yeah. - Because at the moment, it's... not set out clear. - Yeah. - So we need to work on that. - Years I've been looking. I've had friends searching social media and using their contacts to try and find something. - It's a very challenging story, very challenging case. - Yeah. - And we do have an address... - Yeah. - ...that your mum gave us... - Yeah. - ...from` from... years ago. - Years ago. Mum was a great documenter, and she's documented everything that she knows. - I believe that we have done... everything we can here in New Zealand so far, and the next thing is I need to really go to Saint Petersburg, and I really need you to come with me. - OK. That's a big thing. - It's a big thing. You're OK with that? - Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Yeah. It'll take a bit to get my head around it, but yeah. - It will sink in... - Once we're th`? Yeah. - ...once we're there. - She does get nervous about those sorts of things, you know? Yeah. Yeah, she does, actually. - She does` You know, the old... chews the old bottom lip a wee bit sometimes when she's really nervous, and, you know, you can tell. - 'Ross and Marnie know this trip will be a challenge for their adopted daughter, 'but if there are any answers to the mystery of Any's past, 'they will only be found in Russia.' - Whilst we're family, we're not blood, and we thought that would be quite helpful to her, to reconnect. Yeah. - Yeah, I thought it'd be really good for her to meet her brother and sister again as` as an adult. - My kids are pretty excited. Um, they would love to go. (CHILDREN SHOUT) - They'll tell strangers in the middle of the supermarket that they're half Russian. (LAUGHS) And the strangers` uh, the people in the supermarket are like, 'Oh, are you? Oh, OK.' 'Yep. Yep, I'm half Russian,' they say. - To get to Russia, it was... I-I thought it was, um, 30 minutes. - Actually, it's probably more like (CHUCKLES) 30 hours. - Like... a year. - 'As it turned out, William's guess was spot on, 'thanks to unforeseen events.' We were supposed to go to Russia a year ago, but we couldn't because of the pandemic, and it's still like that today ` there's not many people here at all. - PA: We kindly ask you to keep your distance from other people. (TANNOY BEEPS) - So, I'm all checked in. A few more hours to go and then I'll be boarding the plane and heading to Russia. I'm kind of nervous, to be honest. You know, it's just all so different ` the emotions. I'm anxious, but I'm also very excited about what's to come. - The thought of going to Russia is very surreal, considering it's been a year (CHUCKLES) and it's taken so long to get to this point. - I wish I was going with her. - Yeah. - (LAUGHS) It's exciting. It is really exciting. - We hope that she finds what she's looking for. - Yeah. Yeah, that's a good way of putting it. - Yeah. And we support her. - Mm. - 'Anya will be joining me in a couple of days. 'In the meantime, I'll be following up some leads 'that can only be pursued on the ground in Russia. 'Being here alone will give me the chance to look into some unexpected results from my initial enquiries. 'The official records I found don't match up to Anya's memories. 'I've got some serious concerns about Anya's family tree.' - (GIRL EXCLAIMS) - Good try! That was just about. 'My children are very proud of the fact that they are half Russian.' - 'Young Invercargill mum Anya is on a mission to reconnect with her birth family.' Anya, hello. - CHUCKLES: Hello. I'm really hoping to find my brother and my sister. - Anya is about to arrive here in Saint Petersburg. It has been well over a year, and I can't wait to see her. Hello! - Hello. - Welcome. - CHUCKLES: Thank you. - You made it. - Finally! - Welcome to Saint Petersburg. Let's go. - Cool. It's taken so long to get to this point. There were moments where I was just ready to give up, really, to be honest, and I was like, 'Oh, yeah, it's not gonna go anywhere.' - See, it's warm here. You feel it? - Yeah. Just completely different. None of the airport or anything felt familiar. Seeing Alex was really good. (CHUCKLES) I felt like, um, 'OK, now I can relax.' - Bye! - Bye! - Bye! - See ya! - I really take my hat off to my mother, who, uh, 24 years ago, when there was no cell phones and no instant help in your hand or your pocket, travelling halfway around the world to pick up a girl who was 4, couldn't speak English, and having to do it all by herself. There is no way I could have managed it without cell phones. - WOMAN WITH RUSSIAN ACCENT: She has a very good sense of humour. - Yes? - Or having that instant, 'I don't know what I'm doing; let's just Google it.' - MARNIE: Here we are on our way to... - Yeah. I'm very impressed. - 'The next morning, I bring Anya up to speed, briefing her on our first task of the day.' Last time we spoke, you` do you remember I explained to you about the biological connections and how they weren't making sense? The connections were not matching. - Yeah. - So right now, we need to go to the birth registration office, see what we can find. Potentially we might find something out of this. We might not, but we gotta give it a go. - Yep. - How do you feel about that? - Good. Yeah. Really positive. - 'Her family tree is still difficult to figure out. 'I'm hoping a trip to the birth and registration office 'will bring to light some new information.' Shall we go in? - Yep. Sure. We're looking for some sort of paperwork, I guess, or paper trail. - 'It's a short and frustrating visit. 'Local orphanage volunteer Nargiza explains the problem 'with the help of translator Lada.' - (SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - So we will just prove that you were adopted... - Mm-hm. - ...with this birth certificate. That's all we can get with that. - IN RUSSIAN: - NARGIZA IN RUSSIAN: - So the parents written in the certificate... - (ANYA CLEARS THROAT) - ...will be in the new parents, the ones that adopted you. - NARGIZA IN RUSSIAN: - Because` Because your own` - It's like a new identity. - New identity. - Yeah. - So what happens at the` - And the previous one is nullified. - Mm. - You no longer exist as this person. - Right. 'Anything after my adoption has been wiped, 'and it's just the way that it is in Russia. 'It's a little bit disappointing that it didn't go anywhere.' - That wasn't really the outcome we wanted, but we do have other leads... - Yep. - ...that we can go with it. So this isn't` This isn't a dead end. We can try and get more information, and hopefully we can... put the puzzle together. 'While I followed up a couple of leads on the ground, 'Anya took in the sights of Saint Petersburg.' (UPBEAT MUSIC) - 'It's actually not as difficult to get yourself around 'as what you would think.' It's very welcoming and friendly and... very warm at the moment, cos it's summer, so it's like 30 degrees plus, which is not how I remember it. So, the last time I was here, when I was 10, it was winter, and it was cold and it was snowy and it was dark. The buildings and the insides of the buildings here are just stunning. Very different to the new countries like New Zealand. You can` You can see the history walking down the street. - 'Anya spent the first four years of her life in Russia, 'and those early years form a huge part of who she is today.' - It doesn't feel alien. Be quite happy to live here. It feels familiar. It feels safe. It feels... There is a connection there. I find when people around me are speaking Russian, in my head, I reply to them in Russian as well. Instead of saying 'yes', it's 'da', or 'nyet' for 'no'. I'm quite impressed with myself, actually. (CHUCKLES) - While Anya's been reconnecting with her birth city, I've located her old orphanage. - I have not much` well, any... remembrance of family life, but I do remember the orphanage very vividly. - Tomorrow, we'll be revisiting those childhood memories. By making faster fibre internet speeds available for over 1.6 million Kiwis. The Big Fibre Boost ` from Chorus. - I was put into an orphanage by my grandmother. I'm not sure why. - '28-year-old Anya has travelled from Invercargill to Saint Petersburg 'in search of answers.' It has been very difficult to find any evidence that you are related to your brother and sister. My research so far has only deepened the mystery. - And if they're not my brother and sister, then who are they? - Today, I'm taking Anya back to the site of her orphanage to see what she remembers. 'But first, we're stopping off outside the apartment building where Anya's grandmother lived. 'Sadly, my research has confirmed that her grandmother died a couple of years ago.' - It is a wee bit sad that I miss out on seeing her, but... I honestly didn't expect her to be alive anyway. (PENSIVE MUSIC) - How do you feel actually being physically outside the apartment? - Um, I don't know. - You do`? - I don't know. I don't know how to` Uh, yeah. I don't know how to process it, I guess. I have vivid memories of the inside from when I came back when I was 10. - Your grandma doesn't live here anymore, so we haven't been able to get access back in just yet. - We were told that` when we came back to visit that my grandmother had` no, she hadn't put me up for adoption; she'd put me into the orphanage and she had every intention of coming back to... uh, take me home again, but when she went back, I'd been adopted out. - And she didn't want you to be adopted out. - No. - She wanted to keep looking after you. - Yes. I remember my grandmother as being quite, like` quite cuddly, very` very caring and loving. (BROODING MUSIC) You know, I think she probably did feel quite guilty, um, about... how it played out. She said that she had never given permission for me to be adopted out. Quite a shock to hear that. - Yeah. - Yeah. You wouldn't normally just get adopted out without permission. It looks very different to what I remember. - What do you remember from it? - Uh, well, the last time I was here, it was winter, so it was very cold. - Well, shall we go and take a look... - Yeah. - ...at your old orphanage? - Yep. - I think you may have some more memories there. - Yes. - All right, let's go. - Yeah. (NOSTALGIC MUSIC) As soon as we pulled up and I saw the gates, I knew exactly where we were. Like, it wasn't even a hesitation. I just was like, 'Yeah, that's it.' - You remember this area quite clearly? - Yeah. The orphanage is probably the place that I wanted to visit the most, because that's where I do have my most memories of Russia. - MAN: Anya. - Anya. 'Anya's old orphanage now has a new life as a police college.' - Hasn't really changed. It's maybe not as tidy or as kept well, but it's definitely recognisable. - When we came here just now, what stories came to your mind? - I remember a security man... - Yeah? - ...and he had a German Shepherd, and they used to sit at the gate all day and all night. He was quite a kind old man, which is probably why I remember the security gate. That's where the dog sat. - CHUCKLES: Yeah? - Yeah. - So these have always been here, these gates? - Yeah. - These fences. Yeah? - Yeah, definitely the entry. And I remember when Mum and Dad came to Russia and they would walk us... - Yep. - ...back down this pathway. And there must be a-a playground. - You remember the playground? - Yes. - Who was the woman that looked after you in the orphanage? - Uh, I remember there was a lady named Luba. She used to come in and` I think her shift was in the evening... - Yeah? - ...and we all used to look forward to her coming, cos she would come in with candy. (LAUGHS) - Oh, really? - Yeah. - So you're waiting for that moment? - Yes. And she'd all` - Yeah. - She'd give us a hug. - Yup. - And I think that's what stood out ` was that, uh, your carers didn't, obviously, give you physical... love. - Affection. - Affection. - Yeah. - Uh, but where she didn't care, she would always come in and give us a hug, and she'd always have candy for us. And she was quite a cuddly woman too. - Yeah. (MAN SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - You were quite sick in the orphanage. You said you had an operation. - Yes. I had, uh, club feet. My grandmother, when she put me into the orphanage, it was because she knew that was a way to get me the help that I needed and to get my feet fixed. I had Thomas the Tank Engine slippers. I remember that. - Did you? - LAUGHS: Yes, I did. - (LAUGHS) - I was very proud of my Thomas the Tank Engine slippers. - Yeah. - Yeah. She had to put me in an orphanage to get that done for me. Would've been pretty tough on her. This is where I wanted to go. - Yeah. - Cos it's the first memories I have. - First memories? - Yes. And they're very vivid. Very vivid. - I think it's important for you. - Yes. 'Seeing the orphanage made me feel, like... 'better, I guess, in some way, 'because I'm not making it up in my head; 'like, it is how I remember it.' - 'Just as we're about to leave, there's a surprise for Anya. 'Some of the women who used to work at the orphanage knew we were visiting today, 'and they've sent a gift.' - Supposedly, this pallet was in the room where you lived. And in the back, it says, er, 'Dear Anya, 'for the memory of the staff of the orphanage, number 12.' - I was only here for a short amount of time, but, um, this is very special, and I will treasure it. Thank you. Spasibo. Spasibo. Seeing the orphanage was quite significant. Well, it was all I remember, all I knew before I was adopted. The carers, uh, seemed to care. (CHUCKLES) Um, were emotionally invested in the children, I guess, is how I felt when I was that age. The vibe of the orphanage... was nice. - Anya has a lot to process from today, but in the morning, I have some news for her that would challenge everything she thinks she knows about her birth family. (BIRDS TWITTER) So, Anya, I've been doing a lot of research on the ground throughout the last couple of days, and I know that the family connections that we have looked at do not make sense, but I've been able to put the puzzle together and create a family tree. So I've got some information here of your biological family. So, your birth mother, Tatiana, she was married to Vladimir, and Vladimir was not your birth father. We don't know who your birth father is. So... - We don't know who my father was? - We don't know. - Right. - Now, they've had two children, Aleksandr and Natalia. - Right. - And then afterwards, your birth mother had a different partner, and then you were born. - Right. - So Vladimir is like your stepdad, and then your siblings are like half siblings. So they are siblings, but not full by` not full by blood. The grandmother is Vladimir's mother. - So Margarita, my grandmother, was my stepfather's mother. - Yes, that's correct. Yep. - Right, OK. - She's not your biological grandmother. - Right. - She is related to you by marriage. She's your` like your step-grandmother. She ended up looking after you, Natalia and Aleksandr in that` at that address. You remember Aleksandr? - Yes. - Yes. - Yes. - And he` you were told that he was your brother? - Brother, yes. - So essentially, he is your brother, but` - Yep. - It's the same mother, but different father. - I was just being told all these years that I had a full brother and sister. Yeah, I guess it's a little bit of a shock to realise that, uh, who they` who you think people are are not who they are. - Now, your birth mother's added Vladimir to your birth certificate because you have to have a name on the certificate, even though Vladimir's not biologically your father. - I see now that my mother had to put a name down on the birth certificate. She chose to put his name down, even though he was not blood related. So... we have no idea who my... blood father is. - That happened in my case. - Yep. - My birth mother knew who my father was, but she didn't wanna say, but she had to put a name on the document. - We've never really talked about my father. Like, there was no question at the time of who my father was. Yeah, it's taken a bit to process. Um, (CHUCKLES) that we actually don't know who he is. - It's taking a little while to connect the dots and figure it out. - Yeah. - Right now, we're trying to locate your half siblings. - Yep. - Aleksandr, he has disappeared without a trace, and we don't know where he's gone... - OK. - ...um, unfortunately. But there is a cousin in the family. - Mm-hm? - So, his name is Alexei, and he looked after your grandmother until she passed away. Now, Alexei would like to meet you. - Yeah? Yeah. - Would you like to meet him? - Yeah, I'd love to meet him. Yeah. - The last couple of days have been huge for Anya, and tomorrow she'll meet her cousin Alexei for some first-hand family history. (PENSIVE MUSIC) 'Young Invercargill mum Anya has only been back in Saint Petersburg 'for a few short days...' - ANYA: The buildings here are just stunning. - ...but in that time, everything she thought she knew about her origins has been blown apart. Vladimir was not your birth father. We don't know who your birth father is. It's not just Anya who's affected by these revelations. - There's nothing left. - Wow. That's quite different than what we expected. Yeah. - I've been communicating with my mother in New Zealand. - To hear that her grandmother had died was sad, and then to find out that her grandmother wasn't biologically her grandmother was a bit of a shock, actually. And the fact that her father was not her real biological father, that's on the documentation, that was a shock to us. Um` - And it's just blown it all open again, and you think... Yeah. - ...'Oh, we were hoping she'd find some sort of resolution, 'and` but now we've just got more questions.' (CHUCKLES) - Today we are meeting Anya's cousin Alexei. He's the vital link to the family that Anya remembers. - 'It's the first, like, real physical connection I've had 'with any relation over in Russia since I was 10.' He remembers me. Um, he remembers playing with me. I don't remember, but he remembers. So that will be interesting. I feel very nervous. I feel like that 10-year-old. - Alexei? - Yes. - Daria? This is Anya. - Anya. Privyet. Privyet. SPEAKS RUSSIAN: - Nice to meet you. They seemed to be as nervous as I was, (CHUCKLES) which kind of put us on even footing, I felt, so that was quite nice. - Anya's just been really interested to learn about Grandma. (ALEXEI SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - Your grandma had a really strong, erm, personality. - (SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - She had a hard life. - (INHALES) SIGHS HEAVILY: Ah... - When I met her when I was 10, she was very warm and welcoming. (LADA, ALEXEI CONVERSE IN RUSSIAN) - Yeah, that's true. She was like that. - Mm. She just enveloped me in a big hug. - DARIA IN RUSSIAN: - She took me on and looked after me as best as she could at the time. She didn't have to do that. I was the step-granddaughter. I mean, I wasn't any blood relation of hers. (DARIA, ALEXEI SPEAK RUSSIAN) - Yeah, so there is a family album, and there are a lot of pictures of you in New Zealand... - Yes. - ...and there is a letter. - (ALEXEI, DARIA SPEAK RUSSIAN) - Yeah, and your grandma, she kept all of it as a memory. (POIGNANT MUSIC) - 'Dear Grandma, Aleksandr and Natalia, how are you? I hope you are all well. 'I have just finished doing homework. It is very slow and boring 'but has to be done, (CHUCKLES) unfortunately.' Looks like I was maybe in intermediate. Yeah. I actually remember writing the letter. And I think I wrote it out five times, because it wasn't neat enough. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) It amazes me that, um, she kept this letter. Uh, brings up a lot of emotions that... Like, she must've cared about me a lot to keep these. For somebody to hold on to a piece of paper for 18 to 20 years, and all the photos, uh, showed me how much she cherished those things and those memories and, um, the little parts of me that she could get ahold of, I guess, being halfway around the world, so... I found that quite... overwhelming. Yeah. Very special. - SPEAKS RUSSIAN: - LADA: Yeah, you can` You can just look through. - Mm. - DARIA IN RUSSIAN: - LADA: She was always thinking and talking about you. - It makes me feel more emotional knowing that she wasn't blood related (VOICE BREAKS) but she did put so much effort into making sure I was OK. - Yeah, she perceived you as her` as her grandchild. - In my mind, it was very practical, very black and white ` my parents died, I got adopted. I wasn't abandoned. I wasn't unloved. It was just fact. So for me to now come in and be like, 'Oh, your grandmother loved you so much that over the years she talked about you, 'she` she had all these things from you, she...' It's like... It's more emotional than what I've ever considered... or thought it to be. (SNIFFLES) (POIGNANT MUSIC) (INHALES DEEPLY) Big thing. (SNIFFLES) - 'It was very special to see that Alexei had held on to the photos and letters 'that had been so precious to their grandmother. 'That mean a lot to her. 'It's almost time for us to leave Saint Petersburg, 'but first, Alexei and Daria are taking us to say a last goodbye to grandmother Margarita.' - Is this her? - Mm-hm. Yeah. - She looks so young. - (SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - (LAUGHS SOFTLY) - She looks like you. He was obviously very close with my grandmother. Saw her probably more as a mother than as a grandmother, um, and I think he cared for her very deeply, and you could tell that. - (SPEAKS RUSSIAN) (LADA, ALEXEI CONVERSE IN RUSSIAN) - LADA: So this is her husband. - Mm-hm? It's a beautiful resting place. You miss her? - (LADA SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - Very much. - Da. - Mm. He does. IN RUSSIAN: - (SPEAKS RUSSIAN) - A lot of love. 'If I could be a tenth of the woman she seemed to be, I'd be happy.' - 'No one can know exactly where they'll end up when they sit out on this journey. - It's a kiwi. - (LAUGHTER, CHATTER IN RUSSIAN) - He was... He was happy to meet you. He hopes to see you again. - Yes. With my children. Yes. - Your family too. - I feel like I can take on anything. Um... I feel like I've come all this way... to do something that I was terrified of doing, and I've done it. - Yeah. Well, she did it by herself, and I felt that she seemed stronger as a result of doing that. - Mm. - Um... Yeah. - 'It takes courage to face up to the past...' - (SNIFFLES) - '...and put your own sense of self on the line.' - Big thing. (SNIFFLES) Right from get-go, when` (CHUCKLES) I believe when I was like 4, I'm very good at... emotionally shutting myself off for the whole adoption thing. - She's a survivor. - MAN: Anya. - Anya. - I think that little girl with sad eyes knew she had to survive. - Mm. - I didn't need to be emotionally invested into it, but here we are. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) Yes. Somewhere deep down, it unlocked an emo` (CHUCKLES) some emotions. - Anya still has a lot to process, but now she knows the truth about her family, and her new connection with her past is very much part of her present. - I have kept in contact with my cousin. We're getting more and more familiar and comfortable with each other, which is really nice. We talk about everything and nothing. (LAUGHS) He's really keen to come over and see New Zealand, so that's definitely on the cards. I still don't have any more information or know who my birth father is, um, but I am definitely keen to go down that avenue and see if there is something there to find. - Being from such a small town, everybody becomes family at one point. - 'Erin from Iowa...' - I'm pretty sure that I do not have siblings. - '...finds a surprise in Siberia...' - (SOBS) It's life-changing. Like, it really is. - '...on a trip with even more revelations...' - WOMAN IN SIBERIAN LANGUAGE: - '...for her adoptive brother.