Ukraine is a global surrogacy hub - but that could be about to end

Ukraine's parliament is considering a bill to introduce stricter oversight of the surrogacy industry and effectively ban access for foreigners, who make up about 95% of intended parents; the proposals have widespread support.

An AI-generated advert posted by a surrogacy clinic in January 2026 recruited new surrogates amid growing desperation among war-displaced Ukrainians.

The Bajwas returned to England with their son in late August 2025 after the birth in Kyiv.

Himatraj and Rajvir Bajwa from London traveled to Kyiv for the birth of their baby via BioTexCom; the embryo had been created in London and shipped to Kyiv for implantation; they stored it in the clinic's cryogenic storage and spent the first three months in bomb shelters during Russia's bombardment.

Karina Tarasenko's home city of Bakhmut was destroyed amid fighting in the early phase of Russia's full-scale invasion; she and her partner moved to Kyiv.

Ukraine's largest surrogacy clinic BioTexCom promoted a 'Black Friday sale' on surrogate babies in 2021.

Wei was born prematurely in 2021 through a surrogacy arranged via BioTexCom; his intended parents from a country in South East Asia chose not to collect him, and he now lives in a state-run home for disabled children in Kyiv with severe brain damage.

The prosecutor's office launched an investigation into BioTexCom's chief executive officer Albert Tochilovsky and two other former staff on suspicion of offences including human trafficking; the pre-trial investigation was suspended to allow for international cooperation and gathering information from abroad.