HELSINKI, November 23. /TASS/. The Finnish authorities have taken a five-year-old girl from her Russian mother, the press service of Finnish rights activist Johan Backman said on Friday.

"The Finnish authorities have seized a five-year-old daughter from her Russian mother without informing her, while she was visiting Russia," the press service said, adding that during the mother’s absence, the girl was staying at her grandparents.

The girl is not a citizen of Russia. Her mother, however, kept her Russian citizenship although she has lived in the Finnish city of Kotka for the past 19 years. Pavlovskaya has three children - two sons, aged 9 and 11, and a five-year-old daughter. Earlier, her nine-year-old son was also taken from her and remains in foster care.

According to official documents, later received by the Russian citizen, explains no reasons behind the move, but says the procedure was "coordinated with the mother."

The child was placed in foster care, according to activists.

"The Russian citizen was not informed of when her daughter will be returned. She requests assistance from the Russian authorities," the source said.

Cases of children being taken from their families are frequent in Finland. According to the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, children in the country "are not being seized for their ethnicity or without a reason," and such measures are always being taken as "the last resort." According to social services, children are taken from their families to ensure their well-being, and, after all circumstances are established, social workers are doing their best to return them to their families.