DISINFO: Ukrainian soldiers secretly issued organ donor forms in place of insurance by military command
SUMMARY
Ukrainian military personnel were issued documents by their command claiming to be insurance policies promising treatment in top French hospitals in case of injury. It was later revealed, however, that the forms actually contained consent for organ transplantation.
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.
Moscow’s claim of illegal human organ harvest and trafficking is a well-known trope in pro-Kremlin disinformation campaigns. It has surfaced in relation to Russia’s campaign in Syria against the White Helmets, against NATO, in Georgia, in Kosovo and now with greater intensity also in Russia’s war against Ukraine. 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.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that Ukraine cremates soldiers to conceal organ harvesting and trafficking, that Kyiv regime sells children for their organs, that Wounded Ukrainian warriors' blood is pumped out and internal organs sold, or that Ukraine's armed forces kill the wounded and sell their organs.