POLICE investigating the disappearance of a Russian student have launched a fresh appeal for information, two months after she was last sighted.
The 22-year-old student, Yulia Solodyankina, was spotted on CCTV footage at Glasgow’s Buchanan Street Bus Station on June 7 but has not been seen since.
Reports indicated that the Yulia, who is originally from Moscow, may have headed to the far north or west of Scotland – with several unconfirmed sightings being reported.
Police pursued these lines of enquiries but no sightings were substantiated.
Family and friends launched a desperate search for Yulia, after she was reported missing from her Edinburgh city centre flat and her parents flew to Edinburgh to try find their only child.
But with officers still in the dark the police have renewed their appeal for information to help trace Yulia’s whereabouts.
The latest appeal is being supported by the charity Missing People, who are this week highlighting Yulia’s disappearance through digital message boards across Scotland.
Chief Inspector Mark Patterson, from Police Scotland, said: “Our investigation has established that Yulia left Edinburgh of her own accord, and we do not believe there to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
“Since she was reported missing we have carried out extensive enquiries across Scotland, most recently in the north and far west of the country, where we believe she may have traveled from Buchanan Street bus station on Friday, June 7.”
He continued: “Unfortunately we have been unable to establish her destination, and we are relying on new information from the public that can help us to open up new potential lines of inquiry.
She is our world, our only child
“Police Scotland is committed to keeping people safe, and we will not give up in our efforts to trace Yulia.
“Rest assured that we will act upon any new information we receive regarding her potential whereabouts, and I would once again urge anyone who thinks they may have seen her since she went missing two months ago to contact us.”
The new appeal comes after friends debated whether to give up the search for the student “as may not want to be found”, earlier this month.
Around the time of her disappearance, reports emerged that she may have failed the degree she was studying towards at Edinburgh University.
The youngster had been studying towards a Honors Physics degree however upon her graduation on July 1, she was listed as only have achieved a Bachelor of Science.
A close friend of Yulia said that she had indeed failed.
This followed reports from Yulia’s boyfriend, Antoine Dao, who had expressed his concern about the student’s mental state during her final fourth year exams.
The 21-year-old described her as being “very stressed”.
Yulia’s parents both issued heartfelt appeals to the student begging her to come home.
Her father, Dmitry Solodyankin, 45, last month said: “No matter how old your child is, whether she is six or 22, no parent can understand how heartbreaking a disappearance like this is until you have gone through it. She is our world, our only child.”
Anyone with any information should contact Police Scotland on 101, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or the charity Missing People, where information can be passed by calling, emailing, or sending a text to 116 000. The service is free, 24 hour, and confidential.
