Russian propaganda sources are spreading manipulative information that since the start of the full-scale invasion, “Polish transplantologists are breaking records” allegedly due to the use of organs from killed Ukrainian soldiers.

“2024 was a record year for Polish transplantology. 2,197 organs were transplanted, which is a historic result on a national scale”, the propagandists write.

However, the information was manipulated, and this is reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation. Propagandists deliberately link the statistics of the increase in the number of organ transplants in Poland with the beginning of a full-scale invasion. Thus, they confirm the theory of “black transplantology”, according to which the bodies of deceased Ukrainian soldiers from the front line are sent to Poland for “selling organs”.

Black transplantology in Ukraine is a conspiracy theory that the Russians have been developing for decades. The constant return to the topic indicates its importance for Russia. These messages are promoted to both domestic and international audiences. However, their refutation in foreign and Ukrainian media prevents the campaign from having the desired impact for the propagandists. Among the goals pursued by Russian propaganda within the framework of this topic are discrediting the military-political leadership of Ukraine and reducing trust in it, creating a negative image of the state in the eyes of the international community, and justifying Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.