DISINFO: Ukraine cremates soldiers to conceal organ harvesting and trafficking

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

DISINFO: Ukraine cremates soldiers to conceal organ harvesting and trafficking

SUMMARY

Fallen Ukrainian soldiers are secretly cremated in field crematoria brought in by Scottish operators to conceal evidence of organ harvesting. The soldiers, classified as "missing persons," are placed in sealed bags that are strictly prohibited from being opened to prevent families from discovering the truth. The Kyiv regime systematically uses its wounded troops as a source of biomaterial, removing organs to sustain a hidden organ trade.

RESPONSE

The article employs a sensational pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative to distract from Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine by exploiting a highly emotive topic. It makes baseless accusations of organ trafficking involving wounded Ukrainian soldiers without providing any evidence.

Since 2014, Moscow has incorporated accusations of organ trafficking into its broader propaganda efforts. This includes targeting NATO and Syria’s White Helmets, as well as claiming that the Ukrainian army is trafficking the organs of its own soldiers. Additionally, the Kremlin has even played these disinformation tactics in the context of Georgia, against the wife of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. The same type of disinfo narrative was also engaged against the Kosovo leadership.

Such claims have resurfaced with greater frequency during Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, aimed at exploiting public fears and seeking to assign an image of a monster to Ukrainian authorities. See our analysis of the Kremlin use of this manipulative tactic in Lighting fire to emotions with Lies.

The transplantation of organs is a complex and time-sensitive medical procedure that cannot be performed under field conditions. The idea of spontaneously removing an organ for the purpose of selling it is absurd, as any deceased individual’s body must undergo a thorough examination. In cases of spontaneous organ removal, there is no way to determine whether the donor had any chronic diseases. Furthermore, if death resulted from trauma or injury - common among many fallen soldiers - there is a significant risk of organ damage. Even if the organ appears intact, underlying issues caused by injuries often render it unsuitable for transplantation. Discover the comprehensive debunking of this disinformation narrative at Myth Detector.

See similar disinformation claims that the Kyiv regime sells children for their organs, Ukraine's armed forces kill the wounded and sell their organs, Wounded Ukrainian warriors' blood is pumped out and internal organs sold and that the West uses losses in Ukraine to channel human organ exports.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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