Four Saint Petersburg medical staff members, including clinic head Anastasiya Semenenko, will stand trial in Russia for allegedly selling newborn babies to foreign buyers.
Darya Lebedeva, head of the joint press service of the city courts, told news outlet Lenta.ru that Semenenko and three staff obstetrician-gynecologists face charges under Article 127.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, which covers human trafficking.
The other three defendants facing prosecution alongside Semenenko are medical professionals Yelena Lebedeva, Natalya Palchenko, and Yulia Volkova.
Surrogacy trafficking scheme
Investigators state that in 2019, Semenenko, who served as general director and chief physician at the Genesis medical clinic, devised a scheme to sell children born to surrogate mothers to foreign nationals. She subsequently recruited obstetrician-gynecologists from her medical staff to execute the arrangement.
The group allegedly sought out buyers among single foreign men. To carry out the operation, the medics purchased donor egg cells from outside women and used them to fertilize surrogate mothers selected for the program.
Following the birth of the infants, the defendants prepared official documentation required to transport the children outside the borders of the Russian Federation.
Destinations and illicit payments
According to the court press service, five children were taken to the People's Republic of China between 2020 and 2022, comprising one girl and four boys. A sixth child, a baby boy, was sent to Sweden during the same timeframe.
The single foreign men paid between 397,000 rubles and 1.4 million rubles for each infant transferred under the agreement.
Legal background and regulations
Saint Petersburg is Russia's second-largest city and serves as a major administrative and medical center in the northwestern region of the country. Article 127.1 of the Russian Criminal Code specifies severe penalties for human trafficking, particularly for offenses committed by an organized group or involving minors.
Private health facilities in Russia are governed by national medical oversight regulations. Commercial surrogacy arrangements in the country have faced increasing scrutiny from law enforcement and judicial authorities in recent years, particularly regarding the involvement of foreign citizens and single male clients.
