'We have got to make this flight': US family narrowly escapes Ukraine with adopted son

Kelci and Theron Jagge fell in love with a little boy named Ruslan after seeing his picture online in 2020. Ruslan was one of many special needs children waiting to be adopted in Ukraine. 

The couple, from San Antonio, were told by the orphanage that Ruslan's biological mother had died, and that no other family had ever come to visit. 

Ruslan suffered from various medical conditions, including cerebral palsy and pneumonia. He required a nurse to travel with him to keep him stable.

The Jagge family is just one of many from the U.S. who have been seeking to adopt children from Ukraine in recent years. That process has come to a halt after Russia invaded the country, dashing the dreams of families and leaving lives in limbo. 

One agency, International Adoption Net, told Paste BN it received 20 inquiries in one day recently from U.S. families hoping to adopt from Ukraine but said everything is on hold because Ukrainian courts are closed.

Daniel Nehrbass, from Nightlight Christian Adoption, said his agency had 11 families waiting to adopt 20 children from Ukraine, but that process has now halted.

"It's time to think about allowing these children to have refugee status in other countries," he said. 

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After their initial visit to the Ukraine orphanage in December, the Jagges returned in early February and were able to complete the adoption process. 

But bringing their son home was a challenge.

The family endured a long wait at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, but finally obtained a visa for Ruslan before the embassy closed the next day. Kelci Jagge says she was informed by adoption facilitators that the 4-year-old was one of the last children to receive a visa from the embassy before it shut down. 

The following day, the family headed to the airport, but border guards would not allow them to leave the country, despite an official order from a judge who waived the 30-day waiting period because of Ruslan’s medical conditions.

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“The border guards would not listen. They would not cooperate," Theron Jagge said. "We were in that office for, five or six hours after we had already been at the airport, you know, two hours. We had people from the embassy on the phone with them, our facilitation team, that had never had this issue before. There had been so many families have their 30-day waiting period waived.” 

The Jagges' flight departed without them – just as tensions between Ukraine and Russia were growing and Ruslan’s health was declining. There was talk of airstrikes that evening. 

The head of the Jagges' facilitation team hired a lawyer who met with the border guard, and the guard verbally agreed the family could leave. But the couple were nervous because they had nothing in writing. 

The next day, they headed back to the airport.

“We were begging people to let us cut in line," Theron Jagge said. "We were like, please look at our child. We have got to make this flight. There were a lot of really kind people who let us cut.”

After immigration officials at the Kyiv airport made several phone calls, the family was allowed to leave the country for Turkey – and they arrived in San Antonio on Feb. 16. Their son was finally home.

Days later, they would learn that the head of their facilitation team had been killed.

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Meanwhile, the State Department says it has requested that the Ukrainian government expedite issuance of new birth certificates and passports for all adopted children that require them. 

The Jagges are keeping Ukrainians close to their hearts.

“I'm worried about the people that we've met over there that we couldn't have gotten back without," Kelci Jagge said. "I mean, they were the reason why we got home. They worked so hard and, went way, way above and beyond. We’re just pretty much in constant prayer over their safety. And the safety of Ukraine in general."