A child from Belarus was adopted in Poland after his mother's death. Now the court has ordered the boy's return to his homeland

A Warsaw court has ordered the transfer of a seven-year-old boy from Belarus, who lives in a foster family in Poland, to his biological father in Minsk. Belsat writes about the high-profile case, citing Wyborcza.

The boy, along with his mother and older stepbrother Yauhen, who was 14 at the time, arrived in Poland from Belarus in 2021 after the protests and later received international protection.

Polish welfare authorities quickly learned about the woman's alcohol and drug addictions, as well as her involvement in prostitution, and removed the children from the family.

They were adopted by another Belarusian – a pensioner, Hanna Kanavalava, who previously worked as a furniture salesperson and now lives in the Mokotów district of Warsaw. She was caring for her two grandchildren, aged 6 and 8, while their mother, Antanina Kanavalava, served a politically motivated sentence in Belarus.

At the time of adoption in 2023, the younger Aleś, who was four years old, could not use the toilet, spoke poorly, and was addicted to TikTok. In 2024, their biological mother died of an overdose.

In August 2023, Aleś's biological father, Siarhiej, who had previously been sentenced to nine years in prison for drug trafficking, contacted the family.

After Hanna helped Siarhiej obtain a visa to Poland, he began visiting Aleś on average once a month. He spent time with his son and brought him gifts, but lost his visa the following year, and their contact was limited to phone calls, which, according to Hanna, also occurred no more than once a month.

Then, the man decided to return the child to Belarus and appealed to the court in Warsaw. In March 2026, the court ruled to transfer the child to his father. The judges ruled that the interests of the minor "are primarily realized through upbringing by his own father."

However, the human rights foundation Partyzanka notes that the child received international protection in Poland precisely due to the risk of returning to Belarus, therefore he cannot return there. Lawyers say that, "if the [Belarusian] regime wants to use the child for propaganda purposes, it will do so, even if the father resists."

The child may leave the country as early as June 27, although the first-instance court's decision has not yet entered into force. The foster family has already filed an appeal.

"In less than two weeks, Aleś could be in Belarus. I'm afraid we'll never see him again," says Hanna Kanavalava.

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