Later that year, the parents decided to move back to the USSR, but the two elder children, Nataly, 17, and Walter, 12, disagreed.
[1] The parents sought the assistance of the police to get their children back, but upon the advice of the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and of the US State Department, the police decided not to return the children to their parents but instead to start custody proceedings in an Illinois court.
[1] The application was granted, and in October 1981, he was able to adjust his legal status to that of a lawful permanent resident.
[1] The case became a Cold War cause célèbre after the INS allowed Polovchak to stay against his parents' will, even as they pursued legal means to retake custody of their son.
[2][3] In March 2022, he spoke his opinions about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying “Russia is mercilessly killing Ukrainian children and families, destroying neighbourhoods, opera houses, churches and anything they can basically hit, It’s very shocking but not surprising.