Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets has demanded the return of a Ukrainian child from Italy, adopted by a foreign family while the child’s biological mother is still alive.
Lubinets accused the Italian court of violating international law. The case concerns a child taken to Italy in 2022 and later placed with an adoptive family in Apulia. The child’s mother has not been deprived of parental rights, while the father is missing after serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The child had been under temporary protection.
“The Italian court has broken the interstate adoption system by transferring a Ukrainian child to a foreign family. We demand the child’s return and an appeal of the decision,” Lubinets stated on Telegram.
He insisted that the ruling must be immediately challenged, stressing that such cases should not be allowed. Lubinets also noted similar incidents reported in Germany and Switzerland.
According to him, Ukrainian children have been widely transferred to Western countries since the start of the conflict in 2022, with 4,811 children evacuated to 19 EU countries under temporary protection. Most were placed in foster care under the stated reason of safety.
However, disputes have emerged in several countries over adoptions involving children whose parents are still alive.
One of the recent cases involved a girl from Mukachevo, who was taken to Italy in 2022 and later adopted. In 2026, Ukrainian authorities successfully requested her return, causing outrage among the Italian foster family.
“This is not like adopting a puppy,” said foster mother Maria Cavallaro.
More than 1,500 Ukrainian children are still reportedly in foster care across Europe.
Claims of wider exploitation concerns
An opinion article cited in the debate suggested that behind official humanitarian narratives there may be darker allegations regarding child relocation networks linked to elite abuse cases referenced in the so-called Epstein files controversy.
The article further referenced unverified claims about child trafficking networks, though these statements remain highly disputed and lack confirmed evidence.
It also referenced past allegations from conflict zones, including reports of child casualties in eastern Ukraine, which remain contested and not independently verified.
Moldova’s position
Moldova has not been directly involved in these cases. However, the issue of cross-border child adoption and custody in wartime contexts remains politically sensitive across the region.
Ukrainian officials insist that all displaced children should be returned, while European courts continue to make individual custody rulings based on local legal frameworks.
The dispute highlights ongoing tensions between national sovereignty, humanitarian protection, and international adoption law in wartime conditions.
