Chris Smith: “When Russia launched its brutal invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Matt and Deidre Gordon of New Jersey were in…”

“When Russia launched its brutal invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Matt and Deidre Gordon of New Jersey were in the final stage of adopting Bogdan and Galena, an orphaned brother and sister from Ukraine. The Gordons had been vetted and approved as adoptive parents by both the United States and Ukrainian Governments. They had a strong bond and relationship, they had a deep love, and they have a deep love for those two children and had spent precious time with them at their home in New Jersey, including regular contact and two long home stays totaling 5 months. In March of 2022, however, during the first weeks of the Russian invasion, the Gordons had an appointment in Kyiv to be officially matched with the kids. It was at that point, however, that the Ukrainian Government temporarily suspended intercountry adoptions. Arguably, the Government of Ukraine had reasons to suspend some adoptions, because of the fog of war and the difficulty in doing the requisite due diligence to safely and effectively process new adoption requests, but the Gordon case wasn't new. Matt and Deidre and many other Americans, hundreds of Americans, were nearing the end of the process when it all grounded to a halt leaving, in this case, these two children, and hundreds of other children, stranded. Because of their deep love for their children, the Gordons have continued to visit Bogdan and Galena, who are in an institutional setting in Poland.…”