The story of Kristina and Galip Ozturk sounds like a plot pulled straight from a surrealist novel, but for the 22 children living in a sprawling mansion in Batumi, Georgia, it’s just Tuesday.
You’ve probably seen the headlines. A young Russian woman and her Turkish millionaire husband spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on surrogates to build a massive family in record time. They didn't just want a big family; they wanted a triple-digit one. 105 kids was the goal.
Then, the legal floor fell out from under them.
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The Batumi Experiment: 22 Kids and Counting?
Kristina Ozturk was just 23 when she became a mother to 22 children. Most of them were born via surrogacy between March 2020 and July 2021. If you do the math, that’s a baby arriving almost every few weeks. It’s an assembly line of infancy that most people can't even fathom.
To manage the chaos, the couple reportedly employed 16 live-in nannies, spending roughly $96,000 a year just on childcare salaries. That doesn't include the 20 large bags of diapers or the 53 packs of baby formula consumed every week. Kristina often shares glimpses of this life on her Instagram, @batumi_mama, portraying a world of matching outfits and synchronized nap times.
But honestly, it hasn't been all matching strollers and sunshine.
Why Galip Ozturk is No Longer in the Picture
The "happily ever after" hit a massive wall in May 2022. Galip Ozturk, the founder of the Turkish bus company Metro Turizm, was arrested in a dramatic special forces raid at his home in Batumi.
The charges? Illegal purchase and possession of drugs.
Initially, the investigation touched on money laundering and tax evasion, but the specific conviction that stuck was related to 7.2 grams of cocaine found during a search of his property. In early 2023, a Georgian court sentenced him to eight years in prison.
This wasn't Galip's first brush with the law. He actually fled Turkey back in 2018 after an appeals court upheld a life sentence for his involvement in a 1996 murder. Georgia, which has relatively liberal surrogacy laws, became his sanctuary until the drug charges surfaced.
Life in the Mansion Without the "King"
For a while, Kristina’s social media went relatively quiet. She admitted that the loneliness was crushing. Imagine being 25 or 26 years old, living in a foreign country, and being the sole "hands-on" parent for 22 toddlers while your husband is behind bars.
"I can't stand the silence, I can't stand his absence, I can't sleep, and I wake up all alone," she posted during the height of the legal drama.
Interestingly, things took a turn in mid-2025. Reports surfaced that Galip was released early under "supervised release" conditions after serving roughly two years of his eight-year sentence. Kristina posted a video of his return, captioned simply: "It has been done."
The Health Struggles Nobody Talks About
While the media focuses on the sheer number of kids, the reality of "manufacturing" a family this quickly has had physical consequences. One of the triplets, a girl named Alena, has faced significant health challenges since birth.
Alena spent a long time in intensive care and received treatment in Turkey while her siblings were back in Georgia. Kristina has been open about the fact that Alena has special needs, and the family has had to adjust their "105 kids" plan to focus on the health and education of the children they already have.
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Is the 105 Goal Still Active?
Kinda. Sorta.
The couple hasn't officially retired the idea, but they’ve hit the "pause" button. Realistically, having 80 more children requires a level of logistics and liquid cash that is hard to maintain when your primary breadwinner is navigating "supervised release" and past international legal convictions.
What you should know about the current status of Kristina and Galip Ozturk:
- Residence: They are still based in Batumi, Georgia.
- Family Size: 22 children (21 via surrogacy, 1 from Kristina's previous relationship).
- Legal Standing: Galip is reportedly out of prison but under supervision; his Turkish life sentence remains a hurdle for international travel.
- Surrogacy: Future plans are currently on hold while the toddlers reach school age.
Actionable Insights for Following the Story
If you're following this case because you're interested in the ethics of high-volume surrogacy or just the sheer spectacle of it, keep an eye on Georgian legislative changes. The country has been tightening its surrogacy laws recently, which might make the Ozturks' dream of 105 kids legally impossible, regardless of their budget.
For those interested in the day-to-day logistics, Kristina's social media remains the most direct source, though it's heavily curated. Pay attention to the "Alena" updates, as they provide a more grounded, human look at the complexities of their unique family structure.
The Ozturk saga is a reminder that while money can buy a massive family, it can’t always buy a path around the law or the complexities of child development.