The international agency World Center of Baby, which dealt with surrogacy in Ukraine and other countries, has found itself at the center of a scandal. Clients accuse the company of deception, as it effectively ceased operations after receiving large sums of money, leaving both prospective parents and women who were already carrying or had given birth to children without funds.
Financial Difficulties and Lack of Communication
In February 2026, clients were informed of a potential bankruptcy of the American company World Center Group Corp., through which contracts were arranged. However, according to journalists from OCCRP, no bankruptcy filings were found in U.S. federal courts. Following this, the agency's phones stopped working, and clients received no explanations regarding their money and programs.
Tragic Surrogacy Cases
Among the numerous concerning cases, the story of a young Ukrainian woman named Yana stands out. She was carrying a child for a man from the UK and was found dead in an apartment in Tirana in April 2026, at eight months pregnant, with the child also having died. According to Yana's sister, she did not want to go to Albania, but the program required it. In the days leading up to her death, she complained of severe headaches, and communication with the agency's medical coordinator had practically ceased.
- Yana was eight months pregnant.
- She complained of headaches before her death.
- The death was registered as "sudden".
Control and Management of the Company
The agency's owner, Vladislav Natochiy, acknowledged that the company experienced a severe financial and operational crisis but rejected allegations of fraud. He claims that over seven years, more than 350 children were born through the programs of World Center of Baby. However, Natochiy was not listed in the documents of the American company, and its president Yuriy Star stated that he only consulted on registration matters.
Following the company's collapse, questions arose regarding the fate of embryos and genetic material of clients. Some former clients received messages from another company, Blue Oak Fertility, assuring them that their biomaterials were safe.