One of the defendants in the child trafficking case went on a long business trip

One of the reproductologists involved in the child trafficking case in Primorye, Andrey P., is currently on a long business trip. This was announced to Izvestia on May 31 by the press secretary of the Volga Regional Medical Center in Nizhny Novgorod.

He clarified that the date of the reproductologist's return is currently unknown.

When asked about the doctor's connection to a medical facility in Vladivostok, which is also mentioned in the investigation, the spokesman declined to comment.

"I cannot answer this question, it is better to contact Moscow with an official request," he said.

In addition, Izvestia showed footage from clinics with which other defendants are allegedly connected. The institutions are located in St. Petersburg.

On the same day, it was reported that eight medical workers had been indicted in the case of trafficking in newborn babies. According to the investigation, the defendants made a number of transactions for the purchase and sale of 13 children for a total amount of over 53 million rubles. The doctors are charged under clause "b" of Part 3 of Article 127.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Trafficking in minors with their illegal export abroad").

According to the Izvestia source, doctors from Vladivostok, who were accused of child trafficking, trained surrogate mothers for foreigners. According to investigators, from 2018 to 2020, a group of doctors at a private clinic forged medical documents and grew embryos for subsequent sale. The case will be considered in the Frunzensky District Court of Vladivostok, and the defendants face up to 15 years in prison.