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Wednesday, 16 November 2011




Russian girls accidentally swapped at birth given $100,000 compensation

Two Russian girls who were accidentally swapped at birth have spent their $100,000 compensation on houses next door to each other.

The 12-year-olds Anya Belyayeva and Irina Iskanderova, from Chelyabinsk, Russia have become best friends since learning about the mix up.

The mix up happened when the girls, who were born 15 minutes apart on the same day, accidentally had their ID bands switched while in the hospital.

A judge ordered the hospital to pay the girls $100,000 each when the mistake came to light. This is a lot of money in Russia where the average monthly wage is £300. 

The two girls will not be switched back to their biological families, but have bought houses next to each other so that they can remain close.

However, the families fear that there may be some problems later down the line as one family is Muslim and the other is Christian, so have different beliefs. 

How would you feel if this happened to you? Would you want to stay with the family that raised you?

 





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50 Comments


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  • 09AhmedA (Age 13) wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 15:47

    Thats a bit weird cause if one family was muslim wouldn't they realise that the baby wasn't brown ?????

  • nwilliams wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 16:03

    Surprisingly, Islam is the second most popular religion in Russia. I didn't realise this before. Not all Christians are white and not all Muslims have dark skin. Both girls looked quite similar - European looking with dark brown hair. We do not have copyright for the pictures so I can't post them.

  • nwilliams wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 16:06

    I'll try to find a video of them to add to this story.

  • Laurakat1 (Age 15) wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 16:08

    That's what I was going to explain.

  • nwilliams wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 16:10

    I know Laurakat1 :)

  • wiz_girl (Age 14) wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 16:15

    OMG!I FEEL BERTAYED,SAD,DEPRESSED,CONFUSED&HURT.

  • Crystal- (Age 13) wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 16:15

    WOW Actually, there IS a reason for them not going back, I mean, if you'd been raised by a loving family, then how could you just say 'I want to go back' because you've stayed with your 'fake' but real parents and you've grown with them and you just can't SWITCH BACK!!!

  • millie259 (Age 10) wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 16:23

    oh my gosh...$100,00 still cant make up for that mix up

  • millie259 (Age 10) wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 16:24

    but its good that they didnt swap back coz it would have been confusingg

  • sambarose2 (Age 11) wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 16:49

    I think if I got swapped and fpound out when I was 12,

  • sambarose2 (Age 11) wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 17:31

    I think if I got swapped and found out when I was 12 that I had been swapped, I still think I would stay with the people who raised me...

  • sweetcandy (Age 10) wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 17:31

    Wow. I would definatly want to stay with my family that had raised me, because I had grown up knowing and loving them. I would miss them if i had to go to my real family. But I would want to keep in touch with the other family and maybe do what they did by having the houses next to each other.

  • monkey30 (Age 11) wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 17:56

    That is quite strange. I would stay with the family who raised me beacuse I grew up with them.

  • fizzy21 (Age 11) wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 18:02

    :,(

  • glohay1999 (Age 12) wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 18:19

    i think that i would want to be with my real parents but still stay best friends with the people that raised me coz they were nice to me.

  • looby99 (Age 12) wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 20:27

    i agree

  • frules (Age 13) wrote on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 @ 20:41

    wow, you would have thought that they would have suspected something earlier!I am glad for them that they know and are now best friends!

  • superdog7 (Age 12) wrote on Wednesday, 2 November 2011 @ 10:59

    i am glad for them good that they are friends :)

  • Edd12345 (Age 13) wrote on Wednesday, 2 November 2011 @ 15:35

    That is one big mistake to accidentally switch the ID bands in the first place!

  • maddy13 (Age 9) wrote on Wednesday, 2 November 2011 @ 15:42

    I would stay with the family that raised.

  • pipapip (Age 12) wrote on Wednesday, 2 November 2011 @ 16:23

    i would stay with the family i was raised with because you had been so close to them for so long but i also would want to live with my biological parents so they were wise to buy houses next door to each other!!!

  • fishface (Age 11) wrote on Wednesday, 2 November 2011 @ 16:45

    thats really silly i would do what they did but i bet the people who switched the id bands feel bad

  • redhorse10 (Age 14) wrote on Wednesday, 2 November 2011 @ 17:28

    I'm going to use a funny word... PREPOSTEROUS! This whole thing is preposterous! I wouldn't know who I'd live with. :)

  • musicluva (Age 12) wrote on Wednesday, 2 November 2011 @ 18:33

    I would not really know what to do. I mean my biological mother would have spent lots of effort giving birth to me but then i get switched to another mother i am not supposed to know. I would love the family who would have raised me but if they were not your family, I would want to stay with my real family because the share more of the same genes. And also i am the same religion as my mum and if i was switched i want to be the same religion as my biological mother.

  • footygirl (Age 11) wrote on Wednesday, 2 November 2011 @ 18:43

    WOW! The hospital must of been quite stupid. It's really cool that they bought houses next to each other!

  • CHERUB15 (Age 13) wrote on Thursday, 3 November 2011 @ 16:25

    Its nice that it was realised though, or they would have been not known their real parents!

  • LethalCorn (Age 12) wrote on Thursday, 3 November 2011 @ 17:56

    but what if they didn't agree to their original family's beliefs????

  • Molls (Age 12) wrote on Thursday, 3 November 2011 @ 19:00

    I wonder how they found out? It must have been such a big shock!

  • xdottyx (Age 13) wrote on Thursday, 3 November 2011 @ 19:42

    i think this is a terrible thing to happen to the two girls i would not know where to go and what to do but i would certinaly enjoy all of the money.

  • mere4556 (Age 8) wrote on Friday, 4 November 2011 @ 16:32

    That's a bit strange I wouldn't do that.

  • BlueBell09 (Age 10) wrote on Saturday, 5 November 2011 @ 12:31

    How did the ID bands get changed? there was only 15 mins beentween them being born so the rong band may have been put on the rong one.I would hate that to be me if it was i would move back with my real mum & Dad.But i still dont see how they got the rong name put on there ID band.

  • SuperStar9 (Age 10) wrote on Saturday, 5 November 2011 @ 12:42

    They don't even look that similar!

  • charan (Age 13) wrote on Saturday, 5 November 2011 @ 14:11

    Woah!

  • Jack7701 (Age 9) wrote on Saturday, 5 November 2011 @ 16:18

    Oh no how terrible I would not be happy if I were one of the mothers of those babies at all...

  • monstermog (Age 12) wrote on Sunday, 6 November 2011 @ 09:33

    if i was 12 and found out about the mix up i would have stayed with my first family but if they found out only a couple of weeks/months after the mix up i would probably go to my real parents.

  • IndigoWolf (Age 11) wrote on Sunday, 6 November 2011 @ 11:59

    Strange. However, it is a good idea that they don't change back cuz it is a bit unfair^^

  • Honor (Age 11) wrote on Sunday, 6 November 2011 @ 19:46

    poor parents!

  • cesca1 (Age 12) wrote on Monday, 7 November 2011 @ 18:37

    OMG!i WOULD FEEL SO CONFUSED IF THAT HAPPENED TO ME I WUD WANT TO STAY WIV THE PEOPLE WHO BROUGHT ME UP CUS THEY WUD HAV BEEN THE PEOPLE I CALLED MY PARENTS BEFORE THEN HOWEVER I WUD ALSO WANT TO STAY CLOSE AND IN TOUCH WIV MY BIOLOGICAL PARENTS.

  • vivk1 (Age 12) wrote on Thursday, 10 November 2011 @ 15:41

    If I were one of the girls I would like to swap back to my real parents, but it would really hard for me to part with the parents who raised me. I would still want to live really close to them though. I think it was a major mistake and whoever caused the accident should be sorry.

  • shoeless27 (Age 10) wrote on Thursday, 10 November 2011 @ 19:38

    I dont think they should swap back, because they are so close to their 'other' family's they might want to go back home. It's good they live next door to each other. $1o,ooo is a lot in Russia so although they have been mixed up, they have paid for it.

  • shoeless27 (Age 10) wrote on Thursday, 10 November 2011 @ 19:40

    y and how did they find out?

  • Bon605 (Age 10) wrote on Friday, 11 November 2011 @ 20:09

    That is so harsh!

  • sugergirl (Age 11) wrote on Friday, 11 November 2011 @ 20:28

    wat the helllllll lololol

  • Orcalover3 (Age 10) wrote on Saturday, 12 November 2011 @ 10:03

    I would try and find my real mum but then once I met her I would go back to the family I grew up with.

  • skygirl567 (Age 10) wrote on Saturday, 12 November 2011 @ 10:41

    woah.... how on earth did the parents/hospital not realise until TWELVE YRS LATER!!! :0

  • Lucyh (Age 11) wrote on Sunday, 13 November 2011 @ 07:10

    If I were a parent i think i would be pretty freaked out,afterall this time they find out they have been raising a different babey!!

  • meg1x (Age 11) wrote on Monday, 14 November 2011 @ 15:48

    ahhhh really thats bad

  • Nordica (Age 11) wrote on Monday, 14 November 2011 @ 19:04

    Amazing, but upseting I would actually I don't know what I would do! WEIRD!!!

  • nps99 (Age 13) wrote on Tuesday, 15 November 2011 @ 16:41

    It's like being adopted,and returning to your family, it's a bit odd, but it's sweet, really, they're like sisters! :)

  • cutiepie12 (Age 12) wrote on Thursday, 17 November 2011 @ 17:59

    I would be annoyed at the hospital for "accidently" mixing up the bands. how could they be so stupid in mixing them up???