Primorye men allege 1989 baby swap, seek 30 million rubles

Two 37-year-old natives of Lesozavodsk believe they fell victim to a baby swap in a maternity hospital in 1989. They and their relatives demanded multimillion-ruble compensation but have received several rejections from courts, lawyer Alexander Zorin told TASS.

According to the victims, in 1989, Lesozavodsk resident Natalya S. was in the same ward as Galina M. They gave birth to boys on the same day but noticed that the babies brought to them had tags with the same last names. The women became worried, but medical staff convinced them that the sons had been given out correctly.

Natalya admitted that she constantly doubted her kinship with her son Sergei, as he did not resemble her or her husband. After 34 years, she decided to take a DNA test, which showed that all these years she had been raising someone else«s child.

Later, the other family learned about this, causing one of the men to develop an adjustment disorder, and he still has not been able to return to normal life.

Adjustment disorder is a psychogenic disturbance arising as an excessive reaction to stress or life changes (divorce, moving, dismissal), in which a person cannot adapt to new circumstances. It is characterized by persistent low mood, anxiety, behavioral disturbances, and social maladjustment.

Both families appealed to the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow and the Moscow City Court and demanded compensation of 30 million rubles ($333,300 at current rates), but, according to Alexander Zorin, they were refused, with the argument that the swap occurred in Soviet times. The victims claim they suffered moral harm only when they learned about the swap, i.e., in 2023–2024.

The amount of 30 million rubles ($333,300) is based on the fact that the victims in the case include not only the swapped men but also their biological parents and close relatives. They also have legal claims against the Russian Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health, and the authorities of Primorye Territory.

After the refusals, the desperate Primorye residents went to the cassation court but also received rejections there. Now they want to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Also, the Investigative Committee of Primorye Territory has intervened in the situation. Law enforcement will study the documents and interview people involved, and officials face criminal liability for child substitution (Article 153 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

On December 4, 2025, we wrote that Primorye Territory ranked first in Russia in the number of child disappearances over 11 months of 2025, according to data from the team of the app «Where Are My Children» and the Association «Search for Missing Children».