I made an interesting find when I was researching the post on Krasnodar Krai the other day: An adoption blog written by a Russian.

Olga Spachil's "carefororphans" blog is one of those rare insider looks at the world. In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that Spachil does have ties to the adoption communities in Russia and the United States: She's listed among the regional contacts for Adoption... more

Here in the United States, we've all been doing a bit of Fourth of July celebrating today. But some folks in Maryland and Virginia have been doing a bit more celebrating than others. They are the people at Cradle of Hope Adoption Center and, today, it became the first American agency to be re-accredited under Russia's new rules. Congratulations to all of you and to the families you serve.

And now, could the other big shoe please drop?

OK, I don’t mean to seem greedy, or steal any of Cradle of Hope's justly deserved... more

Finally, the leaders of our country and our children's homeland may be learning how to beat swords into plowshares. And it couldn’t have come at a more symbolic time for adoption.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the United States late Sunday afternoon, not in Washington and all things formal, but in Kennebunkport, Me., home to the family compound of U.S. President George Bush. According to the Associated Press, the meeting, which will last less than... more

Here's the flip side to the camp-to-adopt story I told you about this morning: summer camps for Russian children--sometimes orphans--held in Russia and staffed, at least in part, by American volunteers.

Adoption Ark, based in Buffalo Grove, Ill., just wrapped up its fifth annual summer camp in Russia. It took 120 children, ages 6 to 16, from nine orphanages in the Ivanovo region to a three-week camp in the nearby town of Kleshevka. No, they didn't get to experience life... more

Summertime used to be filled with news of Russian orphans coming to the United States for summer camp programs that brought them into contact with prospective adoptive parents.

Not this year. Thanks to the uncertainty surrounding the re-accreditation of their adoption programs, all the stalwarts of the camp-to-adopt movement have put their programs on hiatus this summer. I've found only one camp-to-adopt program for kids from Russia that is running now, and I'll tell you more about that in a minute.

For some, the break will be permanent:... more

The news is almost all business this week.

As expected, British energy company BP sold its stake in a Siberian natural gas field to Russia's state-owned Gazprom. The reported $900 million price tag, which was labeled cheap by The Moscow Times, covers both the Kovykta gas field and the East Siberian Gas Company.

The agreement has been all... more

I passed through Lenin Square often when I was in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in 2005. I'd cast a quick eye on the resolute statue of the Communist revolutionary on the way to the business center I used to send e-mails home during my two adoption trips.

But this past Saturday, June 23, Lenin Square got much more than a passing glance. Washington, D.C.-based charity Kidsave International used it as the kick-off point for a march involving 200 children from orphanages on Sakhalin... more

Last week, Aeroflot grabbed the aviation news spotlight with a big order from Boeing. This week, it was Sukhoi's turn. The jet maker, which until recently made only military aircraft, won the first foreign customer for its civilian Superjet 100. Italian regional carrier Itali Airlines agreed to buy 20 of the jets, which are built to compete against Embraer and Bombardier in the mid-size... more

Yes I've heard the rumors--paperwork on several adoption agencies has been approved by the four key ministries and they are waiting for the Ministry of Education and Science to issue their re-accreditations. I've even tried to confirm that the e-mail circulating on the chat boards that purported to come from the head of one adoption agency was actually sent by that agency. I'm waiting for a call back.

So now what? Folks, I hate to say it, but we just have to keep on doing what we've been doing: wait. Because the slowdown in adoptions in Russia... more

There was an interesting announcement this morning on the Web site of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science. Not the one we want to see on accreditation, but one key to the welfare of children in Russia just the same: Russia has given the green light to the building of a fifth SOS Children's Village. The village, which will... more