In Transcarpathia, a childcare worker was convicted for attempting to sell a child
In Zakarpattia, a court sentenced a former boarding school teacher to 10 years in prison for attempting to sell an 11-month-old boy under the guise of adoption. In addition to the prison sentence, the man’s property was confiscated. This was reported by the Zakarpattia Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the Transcarpathian Regional Prosecutor’s Office, the convicted man planned to illegally take the 11-month-old boy out of Ukraine, posing it as an adoption procedure, and expected to receive approximately $25,000 in total. “Prosecutors proved in court that the convicted man, who had previously worked as a caregiver at a local boarding school, attempted to organize the illegal removal of an 11-month-old boy abroad under the guise of adoption. In total, he expected to earn approximately $25,000,” the prosecutor’s office stated.
According to the investigation, the man found a woman in Zhytomyr who was facing difficult life circumstances and convinced her to give up her child, allegedly for adoption in Spain, offering her $5,000 in exchange. “He met with the potential victim twice and took photos of the boy during their conversations to show him to potential clients,” law enforcement officials noted.
After that, he prepared the documents, instructed the woman on how to cross the border, and accompanied her and the child to a border crossing in Zakarpattia. It was there, in June 2023, that he was detained while attempting to illegally transport the child through the “Mali Selmentsi” border crossing.
Since then, the man has been in custody. The Uzhhorod City and District Court found him guilty of attempted human trafficking involving a minor, under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Separately, the prosecutor’s office noted that in 2025, this same man had already been convicted of another crime—the embezzlement of over 6.3 million hryvnias in state aid intended for the family of a deceased serviceman, into which he had gained access by exploiting his position as godfather.
On May 14, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed in the first reading draft law No. 15167, which provides for the creation of a special fund for a military levy. According to the document, all proceeds from this levy will be used exclusively for the financial support of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel.
On May 14, the Ukrainian parliament approved amendments to the Statute of the Garrison and Guard Services of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
