Millers Vladislav Sergeyevich

Millers Vladislav Sergeyevich

Biography

2023: Sentence - 19.5 years in prison for child trafficking

In early November 2023, the Nikulinsky Court of Moscow sentenced Vladislav Melnikov, director of the European Center for Surrogacy, to 19.5 years in prison for trafficking in children of surrogate mothers.

According to the Kommersant newspaper, citing the indictment of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, a group of doctors led by Vladislav Melnikov handed over 24 babies to customers, mainly foreign citizens, receiving a total of 72.5 million rubles for this. The children were subsequently taken abroad according to forged documents provided again by members of the Vladislav Melnikov group. The court found the latter guilty of "deliberate actions directly aimed at buying and selling a person committed by an organized group against two or more minors who were in a helpless state, moving them across the border of the Russian Federation and using forged documents" (clause "c" part 3 of article 127.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

Other defendants in this case - embryologist Taras Ashitkov, reproductologist Yuliana Ivanova, obstetrician-gynecologist Lilia Panaioti, as well as surrogate mothers Tatyana Blinova and Lilia Valeeva - were sentenced to terms from 4 to 17.5 years in prison. Blinova received the mildest punishment, while serving the term was postponed until her daughter reached the age of 14.

According to court materials, Rosyurconsulting employees participated in the execution of documents for children. Three employees who were involved in the case - Roman Emashev, Kirill Anisimov and Valentina Chernyshova - pleaded guilty and made a deal with the investigation. Later, they received 5-6 years in prison. The general director of Rosyurconsulting Konstantin Svitnev left Russia, but stated that he considered the case fabricated.^[1]

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