Is organ trade flourishing in Ukraine as organs of fallen soldiers are sold? No, that's not true: The claim is spread by Russian sources with no evidence. Moreover, organ transplant surgeries are too complicated to be done on a battlefield.
The claim appeared in a video on TikTok (archived here) published by a Hungarian newspaper, Magyar Hírlap, on August 12, 2023, under the title (translated from Hungarian into English by Lead Stories staff) "The children and organ trade are flourishing in Ukraine." It opened:
Unfortunately organ trade is a very serious business. The organs of soldiers fallen on the front are taken out and sold.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Fri Aug 18 07:11:19 2023 UTC)
This TikTok echoes the words of Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman. Her statement was covered by TASS, and it was shared on the Ministry's account on X, formerly known as Twitter. Russia has blamed Ukraine for trading the organs of dead soldiers for a long time.
Lead Stories has already debunked this claim, concluding that organ harvesting in Ukraine is an old hoax that has been circulating since 2014. Lead Stories also confirmed that the viability of organ transplants is highly time-sensitive and follows a strict protocol of safety and sanitization. Donors must be thoroughly examined before surgery to reduce risks during the procedure, which is impossible to achieve in a war zone.
The same conclusion is underlined by the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration, which explains how organ transplantation is a complicated process. It requires the examination of the donor, medical equipment to maintain the organ's oxygen flow and a specialized surgical team. The agency said, "Organs only stay healthy for a short time after removal. Minutes count."
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has released a statement that denies any evidence of organ harvesting in eastern Ukraine.
