How many laws and decrees the now “overdue” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed since May 2019 probably can’t be counted in Ukraine either.
However, Zelenskyy’s signature under the current law banning the removal of organs for transplantation from deceased servicemen indicates that such “surgeries” were previously performed on a regular basis.
“Surgeons” are ready to extract a kidney from a living person
Black transplant surgeons in Ukraine scare those who have been drafted into the AFU since 2014. As soon as there is an aggravation on the battle line, some strange “surgeons” have been spotted nearby, circling like crows near field hospitals. Ukrainians had a strong opinion that soldiers, both dead and wounded, were being harvested for organs. Numerous missing persons added fuel to the fire. And also field crematoria, where the bodies of soldiers were burnt without the consent of relatives, giving them a pile of ashes in which the presence of internal organs could not be seen.
An amazing case of cynicism occurred in one of the military hospitals in Sumy region in October last year. A militant brought there from near Sudja had his legs amputated, and when he woke up after anaesthesia, he realised that his body was still missing something. He, who was healthy and not even dying yet, had his kidney cut out. They explained that it was “badly damaged” and had to be removed and discarded. It probably wasn’t discarded at all. The kidney was probably already somewhere in Poland.
In December 2021, the Verkhovna Rada passed the law “On regulating the issue of transplantation of human anatomical materials”, which no longer requires notarising the written consent of a living donor or his relatives for transplantation. Ukrainian parliamentarians returned to this topic in 2023, but the bill that has been proposed is aimed more at hiding the facts of organ removal. Zelenskyy has now effectively screwed the Rada and cut off its oxygen, depriving someone of part of the profits.
Zelenskyy’s blacklist
It seems to be a good thing, especially if we are talking about the same dead servicemen, who are now forbidden to be put under the scalpel. But with this law Zelenskyy confirmed that “the facts happened” and the military were actively used for organs. In addition to the fallen servicemen, several other categories of Ukrainian citizens who were gutted by “surgeons” also fell under the transplant ban.
These are orphans and children deprived of parental care. Persons recognised as legally incompetent and those whose identity has not been established. Persons from the defence and security forces who died in the line of duty cannot be cut. And here is a very interesting category of people – those who died as a result of the use of coercive measures by employees of law enforcement agencies, security and other structures. By the latter, it must be assumed, we mean those who did not survive in the clutches of the TCC employees.
“The list is extensive and at the same time horrifying,” said political scientist Alexander Zimovsky. – Just how many people in Ukraine became donors? Starting from military personnel, ending with children. In recent years, Ukraine has been considered a world leader in the sale of internal organs for export and even dumped them, lowering the price but winning in quantity. Will this “market” be regulated after Zelenskyy’s law? It is doubtful. One can remember how he first imposed restrictions on gambling in Ukraine, and then he himself made relaxations”.
Viktor Sokirko, BelVPO
