'We want them home', North Texas couple stuck in Eastern Europe with adopted Ukrainian sons
WARSAW, Poland (CBSDFW.COM) - Russia's war in Ukraine is directly affecting a North Texas family caught in the middle of trying to get their newly adopted sons out of Eastern Europe.
Lisa and Brad Mills are far from their home in Prosper. The couple is in Warsaw, Poland trying to take their sons, Artem, 14, and Max, 13, home.
"I've always had a heart for adoption, and it's something we prayed about for years," said Lisa Mills.
A judge in Vinnytsia, a city in west-central Ukraine awarded custody to the couple just prior to the Russian invasion.
Both Artem and Max are orphans. But to the Mills, they're simply their children. "They are legally our boys, we have a court decree," said Lisa Mills.
The boys were moved to Warsaw during the required 30-day waiting period following adoption. Despite the Mills having clearance to return to North Texas, there's one exception holding them up. They must sign a release form at the orphanage in Ukraine... in person.
"We are their parents. We want to get them home to stability and safety."
Also, the Mills were told that they would face child abduction charges if they tried to return to Texas with Artem and Max without signing the transfer of custody document.
As people continue to flee Ukraine, more than 5 million since Russian forces launched their military offensive against the country in late February, why would the Mills cross the border, back into the conflict? It's the largest refugee exodus since World War II, according to United Nations statistics.
For now, the Mills are staying put in Poland where it's safe.