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

Ukraine's parliament is weighing a bill that would impose stricter oversight on the surrogacy industry and effectively ban access for foreigners, the group that makes up about 95% of intended parents. The proposals have broad support across Parliament.

Karina Tarasenko, 22, from eastern Ukraine, is six months pregnant with an embryo created from a Chinese couple's egg and sperm. She is set to earn about £12,500, nearly twice Ukraine's average wage, though her pay was reduced after the loss of one of the twins. She had previously considered BioTexCom but did not proceed at first.

An AI-generated advert posted by a Ukrainian surrogacy clinic recruited new surrogates, depicting a mother choosing between heating wood or buying clothes for her children to highlight wartime hardship.

Due to delays in UK paperwork and passport issuance, the couple spent three months in Kyiv during the city’s bombardment and then returned to England with their son in late August 2025.

Himatraj and Rajvir Bajwa from London used BioTexCom for surrogacy. The embryo was created in London and shipped to Kyiv for implantation and birth. They arrived in Kyiv in June 2025 for the birth and relied on the clinic’s storage and coordination.

BioTexCom, Ukraine's largest surrogacy clinic, promoted a 'Black Friday sale' on surrogate babies, drawing criticism about marketing toward vulnerable women.

Wei, born prematurely in 2021 through BioTexCom, suffered severe brain damage. His intended parents from a Southeast Asian country chose not to collect him, and he lives in a state-run home for disabled children in Kyiv. The surrogate mother had no legal obligation to him, and the clinic described the situation as a tragedy.

The Ukrainian prosecutor's office launched an investigation into BioTexCom's chief executive officer Albert Tochilovsky and two other former staff over suspected offences including human trafficking. The pre-trial inquiry was suspended to allow for international cooperation and gathering information abroad. BioTexCom and Tochilovsky deny the allegations and say they operate within the law.

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.