Shipping Embryos to Ukraine: Safety, War Risks & Honest Answers

If you already have embryos and are looking at surrogacy in Ukraine, the war changes how you think about every decision. You want specifics, not a paragraph about how Ukraine has a long tradition of reproductive medicine.

Will your embryos survive the journey? What happens at the clinic if there is a power cut? What if the program is interrupted? These are reasonable questions — and they deserve real answers, not soft reassurance.

Below, we work through the safety concerns that come up most often, starting with the ones that matter most. We also cover what actually happened in 2022, what has changed since, and what your practical options are if shipping does not feel right for your situation.

The honest question: is it safe to ship embryos to Ukraine right now?

Yes — but that answer has two parts, and both matter.

The first part is the journey. Vitrified embryos travel inside sealed cryogenic containers (dewars) filled with liquid nitrogen at −196°C. At that temperature, biological processes effectively stop. The embryo does not experience turbulence, altitude changes, temperature fluctuations outside the container, or delays of several days. This is not reassurance — it is physics. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) documents best practices for cryogenic storage and confirms that when samples are submerged in liquid nitrogen, the temperature remains stable and cannot rise abruptly — giving staff time to respond even in an equipment failure scenario.

The second part is what happens at the destination. The war does not affect the transit. It does affect the destination — which means the relevant question is not “is Ukraine dangerous?” but “does this specific clinic have the infrastructure to protect stored embryos during an active conflict?” The answer depends on the clinic, its location, and its backup systems. We cover those in detail below.

How frozen embryos are protected during shipping

Modern embryo transport uses dry shippers — cryogenic containers that absorb liquid nitrogen into a porous material, which then releases it slowly to maintain temperature. There are no electrical components. A properly maintained dry shipper can hold safe temperatures for seven to ten days without any external power or attention.

Standard safeguards in professional cryogenic transport include:

• Real-time GPS and temperature logging. Reputable couriers use containers with data loggers that record temperature at regular intervals throughout the entire journey. You can follow your shipment and receive confirmation that temperature thresholds were maintained throughout.
• X-ray protection. Embryo dewars are not passed through X-ray equipment at customs. They travel as regulated biological cargo with accompanying medical documentation, under protocols designed for this category of material.
• Vitrification resilience. Vitrification — the rapid-cooling technique that replaced slow-freeze methods in most IVF labs — produces embryos that are markedly more stable during transport. According to the ASRM’s committee opinion on rapid-cooling vitrification (2021), survival rates of properly vitrified embryos approach 100% under current protocols — comparable to fresh transfer outcomes. Results vary by laboratory and individual embryo quality.
• Specialist courier requirement. ASRM guidance specifically recommends using companies that specialize in cryogenic biological material rather than general freight carriers. Specialist couriers are equipped to manage documentation, customs, and chain-of-custody requirements end to end.

What can go wrong in practice? Documentation errors causing customs delays, and — rarely — equipment mishandling if a non-specialist carrier is used. Both are preventable with careful preparation before a shipment is arranged.

What war-related risks actually exist — and which ones don’t

It is worth separating the real risks from the assumed ones, because they are quite different.

The risks that are real:

• Air cargo disruption. Commercial airspace over Ukraine has been closed since February 2022, which affects standard air freight routing. Specialist medical couriers have adapted to this: shipments typically route through neighboring EU countries (Poland, Romania, Slovakia) by road, rail, or a combination. This adds time but does not compromise safety.
• Power instability. Ukraine has experienced significant infrastructure targeting since late 2022. This is the most legitimate concern for anyone with embryos in a Ukrainian clinic. It has also driven the most visible investment in backup systems — covered in the next section.
• Program interruption. In a worst-case scenario, a program could be paused or delayed. This is not a reason to avoid the process, but it is a reason to ask — before signing anything — what your contract says about interruption, compensation, and continuation.

The risks that are largely overstated:

• Physical targeting of IVF clinics. There are no documented instances of a Ukrainian IVF clinic being deliberately targeted. Clinics operating with international surrogacy programs are primarily based in Lviv and Kyiv. Lviv is in western Ukraine, approximately 70 km from the Polish border, and has experienced significantly less disruption than cities in the east or south.
• Embryo loss during transit. The journey itself is not made more dangerous by the war. Medical cargo routing has remained stable, and diplomatic and customs clearances for biological material have stayed in place throughout the conflict.

A 2023 peer-reviewed article published in Reproductive BioMedicine Online — authored by Ukrainian and Belgian reproductive medicine specialists — confirmed that IVF clinics face genuine challenges from power outages, air raid disruptions, and the need to relocate from affected areas. The same article noted that clinics that prepared early were able to maintain continuity of operations. That preparation has happened. It is now standard practice, not an exception.

How Ukrainian IVF clinics protect stored embryos: backup power and relocation protocols

This is where the reassurance is grounded — not in generalities, but in specific infrastructure decisions made in response to real operational pressure.

Leading Ukrainian IVF clinics partnering with international agencies, particularly those in Kyiv, have invested substantially in resilience since early 2022. Common measures include:

• Multi-level power backup. Clinics typically operate with diesel generators capable of running cryostorage systems independently of the national grid, plus uninterruptible power supply (UPS) bridges that cover the gap between a grid outage and generator startup. Some facilities maintain three-tier redundancy.
• Liquid nitrogen reserves. Dewars do not require electricity. They maintain temperature through the passive properties of liquid nitrogen. Clinics that have strengthened their protocols maintain larger LN2 reserves to sustain safe storage through extended generator-off scenarios. ASRM guidance recommends spare tank capacity sufficient to accommodate samples from a failed tank at all times — a standard that responsible Ukrainian clinics observe.
• Embryo relocation protocols. When the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, a number of clinics moved cryopreserved material from facilities in more vulnerable areas to secure locations in western Ukraine. This is no longer an emergency measure — it is a standing protocol. Clinics can relocate stored material to partner facilities if a location becomes untenable.

At Delivering Dreams, we work with clinic partners who can explain their specific backup systems before you commit to shipping. If you ask us directly, we give you the details of the facility your embryos would go to — not a general statement about Ukrainian healthcare.

What happened to embryos in Ukraine in 2022 — and what changed

In the weeks after the full-scale invasion in February 2022, some Ukrainian IVF clinics briefly suspended operations. A number of agencies paused intake of new international clients. Surrogates were relocated. Embryos in several facilities were moved westward as a precaution.

What is significant is what did not happen: there are no publicly documented cases of cryopreserved embryo loss as a direct result of the conflict. Clinics that held stored material protected it. The industry adapted — quickly and substantially.

By late 2022, programs in Lviv and Kyiv had resumed. By 2023, international surrogacy programs were operating at reduced but stable capacity. By fall 2024, reporting by The Dial confirmed that Delivering Dreams alone had 44 pregnant surrogates — more than at any point before the war. That number reflects adaptation, not denial of risk.

The 2022 period also produced something with lasting value: detailed operational playbooks for what to do when infrastructure is under pressure. Those playbooks exist and are practiced.

Current operational status of Ukrainian surrogacy programs (as of early 2026)

Delivering Dreams primarily operates from Lviv — a city in western Ukraine that has maintained relative stability throughout the conflict and remains the most operationally consistent location for international surrogacy programs in the country. As of early 2026:

• Embryo transfers and IVF procedures are being performed on schedule
• Specialist medical courier routes for incoming embryo shipments are active
• Surrogate matching, legal processing, and birth registration are all functioning
• New intended parents are entering programs with full disclosure of current conditions

We do not suggest the situation is normal. What we do say is that families who want to move forward have a real, working path to do so — and that transparent information about current conditions is what allows them to make a sound decision. You can read about what our clients have experienced at families who chose Delivering Dreams, or review our program guarantees for the specific protections that apply to your program.

Documents and logistics: what the process looks like from your home country

Document requirements for international embryo shipping depend on where your embryos currently are. Below is an overview of the three most common scenarios for our clients, followed by a summary table. Confirming current requirements with your home clinic and a reproductive law attorney before initiating a shipment is strongly recommended — requirements can change.

If your embryos are in the United States

There is no federal export license required for shipping embryos abroad for personal use. Your home IVF clinic will have its own release protocol. Documents the receiving Ukrainian clinic will typically require include:

• Signed release and shipping consent from both genetic parents (or supporting legal documentation for a single intended father)
• Infectious disease screening: HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis — results typically required within the past 12 months
• Full embryo grading and development report from your originating lab
• PGD/PGS (preimplantation genetic testing) report, if applicable
• Complete IVF or ICSI cycle summary
• Import documentation prepared by the receiving Ukrainian clinic (they provide this)

If your embryos are in the United Kingdom

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) permits export of embryos for international surrogacy. Your UK clinic will require you to complete an HFEA export consent form, and they will need confirmation of the Ukrainian clinic’s accreditation status. This preparation typically takes four to eight weeks. Your UK clinic’s own internal release process may add further time, so it is worth initiating this conversation early.

If your embryos are in Germany or another EU country

EU member states operate under the EU Tissue and Cells Directive (2004/23/EC), which sets standards for reproductive material handling and export. National implementing legislation varies significantly between countries. German intended parents in particular should be aware that while the export of embryos is generally permissible, German family law around surrogacy is complex. Legal recognition of parenthood established in Ukraine will require careful coordination upon return to Germany. At Delivering Dreams, our legal team has direct experience supporting German families through every stage of this process — from the surrogacy agreement in Ukraine through to parenthood documentation accepted by German authorities — and legal coordination is handled on your behalf.

What varies by country: a summary

This table is a guide only. Laws in this area change. Please verify requirements with your home clinic and a qualified attorney before proceeding.

If you’re not ready to ship: alternatives worth knowing

Shipping your own embryos is not the only path to surrogacy in Ukraine. There are two main alternatives, and both are worth understanding before you decide.

Surrogacy with donor eggs. If you have not yet created embryos — or if your existing embryos are not viable — our surrogacy with donor eggs program means fertilization happens in Ukraine using a sperm sample from the intended father. Sperm shipping is considerably simpler logistically than embryo transport. This eliminates the question of embryo transit entirely. Many intended parents choose this path regardless of whether they have existing embryos, because it simplifies the process and often reduces the timeline. You can use our surrogacy cost calculator to compare program costs side by side.

The Ghana hybrid program. For single intended fathers who face additional logistical or legal barriers — or whose embryos are not shippable given current home-country restrictions — our Ghana surrogacy program offers a structured alternative. It operates under a different legal framework and is worth a direct conversation to understand whether it fits your specific situation.

Neither option should feel like a consolation prize. Each serves a different set of circumstances, and understanding the full picture of our surrogacy programs helps you make a decision that fits your situation rather than the one that feels most obvious.

How Delivering Dreams coordinates your embryo logistics

We are an American-owned agency operating primarily from Lviv. Our team manages the coordination between your home clinic, the courier, and our partner IVF facility — so you are not navigating three separate institutions with different requirements across multiple time zones.

What we handle on your behalf:

• A document checklist specific to your home country and clinic, prepared before you start
• Introduction to specialist cryogenic courier services our clients have used, along with guidance on what to look for
• Import documentation from the Ukrainian receiving clinic
• Coordination with the receiving embryologist to confirm arrival condition
• Clear, direct communication if any delay or issue arises at any stage
• Specific information about the receiving clinic’s backup power and storage protocols before you commit to shipping

We do not promise a process with no variables. What we offer is a team that has coordinated embryo shipments for families from the US, UK, Germany, and across the EU — including for families who started the conversation convinced that shipping was not possible for them. To understand the full path from here, you can read about the surrogacy process step by step or review the cost of surrogacy in Ukraine in detail. For a complete picture of what each program costs, our Ukraine surrogacy cost breakdown covers the most current figures.

If you have questions that this article does not answer, we welcome them. Our surrogacy FAQ covers many of the common ones, and a direct conversation will get you answers faster than any article can.