Yesterday I posted about the threatened shut-down of 12 well-known and well-respected agencies by the Prosecutor General's office in Moscow. Apparently these agencies have been targeted because they haven't "filed reports on the condition of children after adoption." In other words, the government in Russia has not received the post-placement reports that parents swore they would send to report on their adoptions and the only way the government can enforce it is to threaten to close down agencies.

One of my readers replied that their agency said it was based on 2-year old information and not to worry about it.

Hmmm. In all, I'm pleased that my reader called his/her agency. This is the absolutely right thing to do in a situation like this. CALL YOUR AGENCY. What you SHOULD NOT do is quit your agency, or accuse them of lying to you, or panic. I have posted before about hinky warning signs that an agency is not on the up and up, and being on this list is not one of them. But do, by all means, call them and ask them about it. They should give you a reasonable explanation and not just blow you off. The fact is that this article is not a repeat of old news but a report of new news, albeit news possibly based on old evidence. No doubt the prosecutor is trying to stir something up, perhaps to force people to comply with the paperwork or to draw attention to Russian adoption in a negative way or maybe to further his political career.

I think that this attempt by the prosecutor probably is nothing to worry about for people already signed up with the agencies on the list. It seems like every year at about this time of year (when reaccreditation is looming) this type of thing raises its ugly head.

But at the same time, it is reportedly much more difficult to adopt from Russia than it used to be. It is much slower. Some regions have shut down altogether.

The best thing we, as parents and prospective parents of Russian-adopted children, can do is complete the post-placements so that the Prosecutor's office has nothing to complain about.

DO YOUR POST-PLACEMENTS, PEOPLE.