The collapse of a surrogacy agency left clients without embryos and women without payments
The international network of surrogacy agencies, World Center of Baby (WCOB), founded by Ukrainian Vladislav Natochiy, has ceased operations following the announcement of its bankruptcy. Clients claim they were left without adequate information about their children and embryos, while surrogate mothers were left without the promised payments.
Over the course of seven years, the company expanded its network across several countries. It operated its own clinic in Kyiv, “Alisa,” a donor egg bank, and programs in Mexico, Georgia, Albania, and Cyprus. In February 2026, clients were informed of the bankruptcy of the U.S. legal entity World Center Group Corp., after which services effectively ceased.
One of the victims was Yana, a 27-year-old Ukrainian woman who had signed a surrogacy contract with WCOB. She was to be paid approximately $25,000 for the birth of the child, with more than $15,000 of that amount due after delivery. The woman traveled to Tirana during the last trimester of her pregnancy, but the company cut off contact with her and stopped making payments. In April, Yana was found dead in a rented apartment in Tirana, where she was supposed to give birth. The preliminary official cause of death was listed as “sudden death,” and the final autopsy report is still being prepared.
Another surrogate mother, 27-year-old Maria, gave birth to twins for a couple from Brazil. WCOB delayed her monthly payments, and she never received the final one. As a result, the Brazilian parents, who had already paid the agency for its services, are now personally repaying the $20,000 debt to her.
Following the closure of WCOB, questions have also arisen regarding the company’s legal status. Journalists found no confirmation of an official bankruptcy filing for World Center Group Corp. in U.S. federal court records, and in Florida, it is still listed as an active entity. The agency’s website is still active, but it is not accepting new clients. Calls to the listed phone numbers go unanswered, and the “Alisa” clinic in Kyiv has effectively ceased operations.
WCOB founder Vladislav Natochiy told journalists that the company is going through a crisis but denied allegations of fraud and any connection to the death of a surrogate mother in Albania. According to him, more than 350 children have been born through the brand’s programs over the past seven years.
Meanwhile, a new agency, Blue Oak Fertility, has begun offering its services to the affected clients. They are being offered the option to continue the programs for an additional €41,000. Journalists discovered that the new company’s website was registered by Yuriy Star himself, who is officially the owner of the U.S.-based World Center Group Corp., and that its chief operating officer is Daniel Epstein, the former COO of WCOB. Blue Oak Fertility denies any legal connection to WCOB.
Some clients have also reported possible mishandling of biological materials. One family claims that their embryos—which they officially requested be destroyed four years ago—later ended up with the new company and may have been offered for reuse. Experts emphasize that the WCOB case highlights the vulnerability of surrogate mothers and parents due to insufficient regulation of international intermediary agencies.
Source: NGL.media
