DISINFO: Black Market Transplants: The Dark Truth Behind Organ Trafficking in Mariupol
SUMMARY
Reports claim that medical records of children with ‘healthy organs’ were found in the International Red Cross database in liberated Mariupol, confirming organ trafficking in the region. The ICRC stated it has no involvement, noting that the so-called ‘incubators’ found were related to agriculture. Such claims, however, point to illegal activities in the area, including illicit organ transplants and the development of biological weapons under the cover of agricultural programmes.
RESPONSE
There is no evidence to back this very serious allegation against the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has been firmly denied and denounced by the organisation.
The article follows a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aimed at diverting attention from Russia’s documented involvement in abducting Ukrainian children. These claims, suggesting child trafficking by Ukrainian authorities, are consistent with previous narratives that have been repeatedly debunked.
Pro-Kremlin disinformation channels seek to blame Ukraine and Western nations for various crimes against children, including large-scale deportations and organ trafficking, all without presenting any evidence. They fail to acknowledge Russia's documented role in the extensive deportation of Ukrainian civilians, including children.
In the past, accusing others of organ trafficking has been a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation technique, be it NATO, Syria’s White Helmets, the Ukrainian army with its own soldiers, or even Mikhail Sakhashvili’s wife. In April 2022, Canada’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE), the country’s foreign signals intelligence agency, warned of an ongoing Russian campaign to promote the message that Ukraine was harvesting the organs of fallen soldiers, women and children and using mobile cremating devices to dispose of the evidence. Similar disinformation efforts, including the use of a Lithuanian pro-Russian activist falsely posing as an OSCE expert, have been observed elsewhere as part of Russian disinformation during its ongoing aggression against Ukraine.
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