President of Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed the Commissioner for Children’s Rights to go to Georgia to resolve the issue of returning 10 children to Ukraine

5 June 2019 - 17:09

Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed the Commissioner for Children’s Rights to go to Georgia to resolve the issue of returning 10 children to Ukraine

On June 5, Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children’s Rights Mykola Kuleba, pursuant to the commission of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, met with representatives of the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia and the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs to return 10 children of the Susliak family from Khmelnytskyi region to Ukraine.

At the moment, children stay in local foster families and social institutions in Georgia, and their mother, Yulia Susliak, is in custody. Yulia and her husband Yuriy are suspected of children trafficking. The woman was detained with ten children, seven of whom were born during one year from surrogate mothers, when she was trying to set off for Abkhazia occupied by Russia.

According to Mykola Kuleba, the issue of returning the children to Ukraine is now being resolved, in particular proper registration of all necessary documents is in process. Preliminary agreements have already been reached with  the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia and the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia as regards the return of these children to the homeland.

A group of representatives of the Yarmolyntsi district state administration of Khmelnytskyi region led by the head of the service for children's affairs, who is an authorized person and has the right to accompany children to Ukraine, also came to Georgia.

It is expected that Mykola Kuleba will meet with the children of the Susliak family tonight.