Is it true that dead Ukrainian soldiers are used to supply organs to the black market? No, that's not true: The time-sensitive and highly strict protocols required to conduct organ transplants are impossible to enact in a war zone.
The claim appeared on TikTok (archived here) on February 27, 2023, and has recirculated across social media. The caption reads (translated from Japanese into English by Lead Stories staff):
The truth about Ukraine.
The video says the black organ trafficking market has existed since the invasion of Crimea in 2014, concluding that the war has turned the market into a "gold mine":
OSCE representatives confirmed that dozens of military and civilian bodies with their organs cut out had been found in war-torn territories of Donbass.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Wed Jun 28 15:56:15 2023 UTC)
Lead Stories has debunked this claim, concluding that organ harvesting in Ukraine is an old hoax that has been circulating since 2014. Lead Stories also confirms that the viability of organ transplants is extremely 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.
In addition, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has released a statement that denies the possession of any evidence of organ harvesting in eastern Ukraine.
