Starkly Different Portraits of Adopted Boy Emerge

(April 11) -- The 7-year-old Russian boy sent back to his homeland after his adoptive American mother deemed him "violent" and "psychopathic" is finding plenty of sympathy in his birth country, where officials who interviewed the boy said he is a "nice" child who does not display any signs of aggression.

The Kremlin's Children Rights Commissioner Pavel Astakhov told reporters that Artyom "Justin" Savelyev is traumatized after his adoptive mother, Torry Anne Hansen, 33, a nurse and single mother, sent him on a one-way flight from Washington to Moscow on Thursday, with only his Spider-Man backpack and a note saying, "The child is mentally unstable." The family paid a Russian man $200 to retrieve Artyom at the airport and bring him to the Russian Education and Science Ministry.

The incident has sparked mass debate and outrage, perhaps most fervently in Russia, where officials are urging a freeze on U.S. adoptions pending a new international agreement between the two countries.

Astakhov told ABC News that psychologists who met with Artyom determined he is a "nice," normal boy. In a televised address to reporters, Astakhov said the boy cried when asked about the six months he spent with Hansen in Shelbyville, Tenn., saying his adoptive mother used to tell him he was "bad" and pull his hair, while his adoptive grandmother, Nancy Hansen, often yelled at him. Published reports quoted Russian social services as saying Artyom was "a little stubborn" but that his only disability is his "flat feet."

Nancy Hansen tells a very different story about her family's time with the blond-haired boy they called Justin, whom her daughter, Torry, adopted from the Russian town of Partizansk in September. In January, Hansen said Artyom's behavioral problems began to show, as he kicked, hit and even threatened to kill family members.

"He drew a picture of our house burning down and he'll tell anybody that he's going to burn our house down with us in it," Hansen told The Associated Press. "It got to be where you feared for your safety. It was terrible."

Hansen said her family's breaking point came last month, when they allege Artyom snatched a 3-pound statue and tried to attack his aunt. Nancy Hansen accompanied him to Washington on Thursday, where he was sent back to Russia on a United Airlines flight to Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport

Witnesses aboard that 10-hour flight told ABC News that Artyom was "an average little boy who wanted to play." One passenger said he behaved like most 7-year-olds might.

"He was very anxious and very active," the person said. "He wanted to sing a Spider-Man song quite a bit. We sang with him in the back of the plane. We tried to keep him occupied. He was quite active -- running about, not disturbing anyone. He was very obedient. He sat when [asked.]"

The passenger added: "He drew some cartoon pictures of an airplane with passengers waving."

The boy described as "nice" by Russian officials and "psychopathic" by his adoptive family is now at the center of a heated conversation over international adoption that has reached the upper levels of government in both Russia and the U.S.

In an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said sending Artyom back to Russia was a "monstrous deed on the part of his adoptive parents" and "not only immoral but against the law."

The Bedford County Sheriff's Department is investigating the matter, but has said in published reports that "there may be no crime" apart from Torry Hansen's poor judgment.

While a freeze on Russian adoptions may be imminent, Astakhov told reporters he hopes that the two countries can formulate a sound agreement on how to handle the delicate issue. U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the department was "very troubled" by the boy's case and pledged to work with Moscow to ensure that international adoptions protect the safety of children and are appropriately monitored.

Tom DiFilipo, President of the Joint Council on International Children's Services, told CBS News today that while his organization is outraged over the situation, he hopes that Russia does not freeze adoptions to the U.S.

"We think it would be a real shame and not a service to children at all if international adoption was to be suspended over the misguided action of the parents in Tennessee," he said, citing "tens of thousands of successful international adoptions."

Nancy Hansen defended her daughter's decision to send Artyom back to Russia, saying she was deceived by the orphanage who turned over the boy.

"The Russian orphanage officials completely lied to her because they wanted to get rid of him," she told the AP.

According to Astakhov, three Russian families have already come forward in hopes of adopting the boy, who turns 8 next week.