“It is my understanding that she paid someone from Russia to escort the child back. That person took the money and left a note on the boy. I could be mistaken, but it sounds a bit more reasonable. Did the Russians send him here the same way?”
Certainly not. For international adoptions, the parents have to complete voluminous paperwork, satisfy background examinations, then travel to the country in question to pick up the child, including appearance at a court where they are legally designated as the adoptive parents. The country of origin expect you to honor that obligation, and the degree to which you do so can directly impact the continued ability of other Americans to adopt in that nation. Presumably, the child would have also been brought over on a visa that made him a U.S. citizen upon entry. That is pretty standard practice.
You don’t get to just send them back with a note. In the eyes of the country of origin, that is illegal, insulting and immoral.
I agree - what she did is horrible - it was an isolated incident - Russians are acting like it is Organized Crime in the USA.