Spatial origin (из-за, из-под)

From Behind (из-за)

To describe movement originating from behind an object, Russian uses the compound preposition из-за. Just like the basic preposition из (out of / from), из-за requires the following noun, pronoun, or adjective to be in the Genitive case.

You will frequently see this preposition when people, animals, or things peek out (выглядывать / выглянуть) from their hiding spots.

The children are peeking out from behind the corner.
Дети выглядывают из-за угла.
Yesterday the sun peeked out from behind the clouds.
Вчера солнце выглянуло из-за облаков.

From Under (из-под)

Similarly, when someone or something emerges from underneath an object, you must use the compound preposition из-под. This preposition also strictly requires the Genitive case.

This is commonly used with verbs for reaching, taking, or fetching things out of tight spaces, such as доставать / достать.

He always takes the keys out from under the stone.
Он всегда достаёт ключи из-под камня.

Pulling and Crawling Out

These spatial prepositions combine naturally with more effortful verbs, such as pulling objects out (вытаскивать / вытащить) or crawling out (вылезать / вылезти).

Notice how the Genitive case remains consistent regardless of whether you are retrieving an object from behind something, or whether a creature is crawling out from underneath a piece of furniture.

It is hard to pull this suitcase out from under the sofa.
Тяжело вытаскивать этот чемодан из-под дивана.
The boy pulled the toy out from behind his back.
Мальчик вытащил игрушку из-за спины.
The puppy crawled out from under the bed and approached me.
Щенок вылез из-под кровати и подошёл ко мне.