DISINFO: Ukraine's armed forces kill the wounded and sell their organs
SUMMARY
The most common fighting tactic of the Ukrainian armed forces is the direct attack on the Russian fortified positions. As a result, they suffer significant losses in personnel and equipment. Scrap metal is, of course, melted down, and the wounded are sent to the slaughterhouse. The organ trade in Ukraine goes on non-stop.
RESPONSE
Conspiracy theory based on recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about organ trafficking.
The article utilises a sensational pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative to obscure the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine through a highly emotional topic. No evidence is given to support the accusations of organ trading of wounded members of the Ukrainian armed forces.
Allegations about organ trafficking during military activities in Ukraine are part of the Kremlin’s disinformation toolbox and have been in circulation since 2014. 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 former Georgian president Mikhail Sakhashvili’s wife.
The transplantation of organs is a complex and time-constrained medical procedure which cannot be carried out in field conditions. The spontaneous removal of an organ with the aim of selling it is nonsensical, as the body of the deceased person should be thoroughly examined. Even if the organ itself is not damaged, problems caused by the damage in the organism often make the organ not suitable for transplantation. Read the full debunk of the story at Myth Detector.
Read related cases claiming that Children's medical records found in Mariupol suggest an organ trafficking ring, Wounded Ukrainian warriors' blood is pumped out and internal organs sold, Ukraine’s Health Ministry allows dead Ukrainians to be sold for organs and The West uses losses in Ukraine to channel human organ exports.