Law enforcement officers in Odesa region uncovered and halted the activities of a criminal group that facilitated the illegal export of Ukrainian orphans and children deprived of parental care to another country for future adoption.

Under the procedural guidance of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office, three members of the group have been notified of suspicion. These include two Ukrainian women aged 39 and 47, who coordinated the trips, as well as a 49-year-old founder of a charitable organization, who operated from the territory of another state and is suspected in absentia.

According to the investigation, they produced forged documents, facilitated the adoption of illegal decisions by guardianship authorities regarding the departure of children outside Ukraine, and organized their transportation across the state border. For their services, the suspects received payment from foreign citizens through international payment systems.

The group also recruited 13 men and 2 women as transporters of children outside Ukraine for their criminal activities.

The scheme was implemented through so-called "hosting" – short-term trips for children to foreign families during summer or winter vacations under the guise of recreation and rehabilitation. This time was effectively used for introducing foreign families to Ukrainian children and selecting potential adopters.

Despite the ban on international adoption during martial law, the participants continued to move children even after 2022. According to the investigation, the scheme operated until the beginning of 2025. In April of this year, the "traffickers" were uncovered and detained.

In total, they attempted to illegally transport at least 25 children from Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, and Cherkasy regions, of which 13 were delivered to a foreign country.

International cooperation among law enforcement agencies, including the cancellation of entry permits by the foreign side, made it possible to stop the illegal movement of children.

Members of the criminal group are charged with human trafficking, illegal transportation across the state border, and forgery of documents (Part 2, 3 of Article 149; Part 2, 3 of Article 332; Part 3 of Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

At the request of the prosecutor's office, the two suspected women are in custody.

Currently, the involvement of officials from child services, local government executive bodies, and boarding schools in various regions in the criminal scheme is being investigated.

The pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings is conducted by the Main Directorate of the National Police in Odesa region. Operational support is provided by the Migration Police Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Odesa region.

Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a guilty verdict of the court.