DISINFO: The Ukrainian conflict has become a battlefield for illegal trading of internal organs
SUMMARY
The Ukrainian conflict has become a battlefield for internal organs on the international black market, where certain Ukrainians have amassed vast fortunes. Ongoing meetings between morgue officials and military personnel enable this trade. Under the guise of the Red Cross, illegal transplant surgeons have entered Ukraine, selecting donors from both soldiers and civilians. At the same time, official Red Cross representatives remain active in the Zaporizhzhia region, facilitating the organ trade.
RESPONSE
Sensational pro-Kremlin disinformation claim to discredit Ukraine. The claim touches on a highly emotional topic, yet no evidence is provided to support it.
Allegations of organ trafficking during military operations in Ukraine - particularly claims involving the Red Cross - are part of a long-running disinformation campaign by the Kremlin. The notion that Red Cross personnel are involved in harvesting organs is not new; it was already circulated as disinformation in May 2022. Pro-Kremlin outlets have a track record of spreading this false accusation in connection with other conflicts such as Russia's war against Georgia in 2008, the war in Kosovo, and the war in Syria. Always with the aim of smearing groups in opposition to Moscow's policies.
In reality, organ transplantation is a highly complex and time-sensitive medical procedure that cannot be performed in field conditions. The idea of spontaneously removing organs for sale is medically implausible. Donor organs require thorough screening for disease, and traumatic deaths - common in war - often render organs unusable due to internal damage. Such claims ignore both medical realities and ethical standards, serving only to spread distrust and confusion. Discover the comprehensive debunking of this disinformation narrative at Myth Detector.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that Ukrainian soldiers secretly issued organ donor forms in place of insurance by military command, that Ukraine cremates soldiers to conceal organ harvesting and trafficking, that Kyiv regime sells children for their organs or that Ukraine's armed forces kill the wounded and sell their organs.