At least 13 newborns trafficked abroad to 'infertile' parents for £510,000
Eight doctors have been arrested for orchestrating a black-market baby ring in Russia, in a case disturbingly reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale.
As many as 13 newborns were sold to foreign couples – but the true scale is alleged to be much higher.
The medics – including three chief physicians – fabricated medical records to claim the 'buyers' were infertile, then used reproductive technologies to grow embryos, oversee births, and ultimately send the children abroad.
They are believed to have earned £510,000 from the sinister baby-selling scam, according to the state prosecutors in the far-east Primorsky region.
The scandal centres on multiple private clinics in the city of Vladivostok, and it involved six women and two men – doctors, chief physicians, and the owner of a chain of private clinics.
A statement from Russian authorities said: 'The group of doctors illegally issued medical documentation containing knowingly false information about the infertility of buyers and genetic parents. More Trending
'Using assisted reproductive technologies under the guise of infertility treatment, the defendants carried out actions to cultivate embryos and arrange the subsequent birth of children for the purpose of their sale and movement abroad.'
The illegal sales happened between 2018 and 2020 but have only come to light now.
It is as yet unclear if Russia will seek to repatriate the illegally sold children – now aged between around five and seven.
The defendants in the case have not been named. They face up to 15 years in jail for alleged child trafficking, according to prosecutors.
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