On May 23, Russian state-owned news agency, RIA Novosti published an article claiming that the Ukrainian medical service was clandestinely extracting organs from the bodies of soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The outlet quotes an anonymous source, who claims that among the medical staff of the military hospital in Kherson, there are personnel from the “Disaster Medicine” department. The source further disclosed that “following surgical procedures, the bodies of the servicemen are cremated in the hospital’s crematorium, and the families are provided with certificates indicating their relatives as missing.”
Relying on RIA Novosti, Russia 24, specifically their program “Vesti,” has produced a news story about the same topic. Media outlet recalled the “infamous” figure Elisabeth Debrew, who was associated with the American Private Military Company (PMC) called “Mozart” and a brigade of dutch individuals referred to as “black transplantologists.”
The same information was shared on the Twitter account of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, quoting the spokesperson of the MFA of Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova expressing frustration over the “international structures pretending not to notice such facts.”
The claims about the alleged illicit organ trade during military operations in Ukraine are a longstanding conspiracy propagated by the Kremlin. Organ transplantation is a sophisticated medical procedure that requires a controlled environment and careful timing, making it almost impossible to carry out in a battlefield setting.
-
Claims of illicit organ trade during military operations in Ukraine is a longstanding conspiracy fueled by the Kremlin.
Kremlin-owned media outlets have been involved in spreading disinformation about organ transplantation of Ukrainian soldiers since the onset of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. These outlets have repeatedly brought up the issue at different intervals, each time introducing new elements to their narrative.
Accusations regarding the ongoing trade of military organs within Ukraine and the involvement of various political leaders in this illicit practice have surfaced intermittently since the beginning of the conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014. These allegations resurfaced in 2019 through both Georgian and Russian language sources, reiterating old claims. The tendency got amplified through Georgian and Russian language media in 2022 as well. Credible evidence was presented in none of the above-mentioned cases.
For instance, on May 25, 2023, the page Gorlovka Self-Defense disseminated a video featuring Vladimir Kononov, the former Defense Minister of the “Donetsk People’s Republic”- DPR. In the video, Kononov alleges that organs belonging to Ukrainian soldiers are being harvested, sent abroad, and sold. He claims that instead of providing medical assistance to wounded Ukrainian soldiers, they were ruthlessly mutilated, with their organs being allocated to different recipients. These distressing claims were “confirmed” by Kononov, who “had encountered evidence of the activities of “black transplantologists” during his time at the front.”
Notably, according to the United States Department of Health & Human Services, providing transplanted organs with oxygen after the death of the donor is crucial for post-mortem transplantation. In case of cardiac death, the heartbeat stops and the lungs stop working. In this circumstance, the dead patient requires the support of a special ventilator that provides for thეe inflow and outflow of air in the lungs, stimulated heartbeat, and, as a result, oxygen is still provided to the organs and tissues. In the case of brain death, the brain tissue is dead and dysfunctional; however, with the use of special mechanical and artificial tools, heartbeat and breath, thus the life of organs can be sustained. Such support is only possible under hospital conditions, under intensive supervision and not at the scene of military actions.
It should also be noted that the organ transplantation procedure requires a large team of experienced specialists and a technologically sound medical infrastructure, the existence of which is also very unlikely in field conditions.
The validity of transplantable organs is restricted in time. Heart, liver, lungs, kidneys and various other tissues (skin, veins, bone tissue, tendons) can be transplanted after death. After the death of the donor, the organ should be removed and stored, which is only possible in specific condition under constant supervision. The said time varies by organs:
It should also be noted that the Kremlin’s propaganda often has specific targets. At various times, the former first lady of Georgia, Sandra Roelofs, and the International Committee of the Red Cross have been the targets of conspiracies about the illegal trade in organs.
-
Accusation of Organ Trading on Sandra Roelofs
In May 2019, NTV, a Gazprom-owned television channel, accused former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and his wife Sandra Roelofs of being involved in organ trafficking. The accusations were based on anonymous interviews with individuals claiming to be a Ukrainian army officer and a Security Service of Ukraine employee. NTV alleged that Sandra Roelofs led a group called the “Emergency Care and Resuscitation Team” which operated specialized centers in Kramatorsk and Sieverodenetsk, where injured Ukrainian soldiers were sent for organ trafficking. Alexander Kvitashvili, a former Georgian and Ukrainian Health Minister, was implicated as an accomplice.
However, there was no evidence to support these claims, and the idea of trading organs from wounded soldiers was deemed technically impossible. The NTV story aligned with previous conspiracies promoted by the Kremlin concerning organ trade in Ukraine.
For detailed information, see the article by “Myth Detector:”
Repeated Lie by Pro-Kremlin Actors about Trading Organs of Ukrainian Soldiers
-
The disinformation claiming that the Red Cross was involved in the organ trafficking of children in Mariupol has been circulating since May 2022.
On May 29th, 2022, Vladimir Taranenko, head of the non-governmental organization “People’s Detachment” in the Donetsk People’s Republic, shared a video on a Telegram channel claiming to show over 1000 medical cards of children with information about their healthy organs. The video also mentioned the discovery of “weapon instructions” and reports about incubator purchases. However, no concrete evidence was presented to support these claims in the video.
The International Committee of the Red Cross responded on May 31st, stating that the video contained false accusations. They clarified that they do not collect data on children’s health and denied any involvement in organ trafficking.
In fact, the Red Cross explained that the “weapon instruction manuals” shown in the video were actually informational materials available in open sources, and the incubators were provided for agricultural programs to support the local population in conflict-affected areas, having no connection to “biological experiments.”
For more information, see:
About Volodimir Kononov
Volodimir Kononov, who assumed the position of “Defense Minister” of the self-declared “Donetsk People’s Republic” (DPR) on August 14, 2014, has faced sanctions from several countries. He replaced Igor Strelkov/Girkin in this role and reportedly commanded a division of separatist fighters in Donetsk since April 2014. Kononov has been associated with actions and policies that undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine. He was dismissed from his position as “Defense Minister” in September 2018.
Disinformation about the alleged organ trade in Ukraine was debunked by “Myth Detector” in the past as well.
For more information see the Myth Detector articles on the topic:
- https://mythdetector.ge/en/recurring-disinformation-by-pro-kremlin-media-about-organ-trading-in-ukraine/
- https://mythdetector.ge/en/disinformation-of-asaval-dasavali-and-tv-zvezda-on-an-illegal-western-business-of-trading-organs-in-ukraine/
- https://mythdetector.ge/en/repeated-lie-by-pro-kremlin-actors-about-trading-organs-of-ukrainian-soldiers/
The article has been written in the framework of Facebook’s fact-checking program. You can read more about the restrictions that Facebook may impose based on this article via this link. You can find information about appealing or editing our assessment via this link.
Read detailed instructions for editing the article.
Read detailed appeal instructions.
