Allegations of organ harvesting heighten tensions between Russia and Ukraine
Larysa Salayeva, the wife of a Ukrainian prisoner of war, claims that Russia is harvesting and selling the internal organs of detained prisoners of war. According to her, the bodies of soldiers brought back to Ukraine often lack organs. Russian sources have denied these shocking reports.
"Russia has been stealing and selling the organs of dead prisoners" – claims Larysa Salayeva, the wife of a Ukrainian prisoner of war and the head of the advocacy group Freedom for the Defenders of Mariupol. According to the latest reports from the "Daily Mail" website, several bodies of soldiers brought from Russia to Ukraine were missing essential organs.
- It is already well-known that we receive the bodies of tortured prisoners during body exchanges. We receive not only tortured bodies but also bodies, unfortunately, without organs - she said. She added that the organs are going to the black market.
Russian sources denied the reports of missing organs, claiming that these are baseless accusations aimed at "demonizing" the image of Russian forces.
Ukrainian woman appeals to Turkey
Larysa Salayeva appealed to the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for support in establishing a medical commission. It would monitor the health status of prisoners of war both Ukrainian and Russian.
As reported by the "Daily Mail," Salayeva also called on Turkey to act as a mediator. "I would also like to ask Turkey, as the patron country in resolving all humanitarian issues related to the exchange of prisoners of war, to speak out" - she said.
Larysa Salayeva emphasized that Russians are ignoring the Geneva Conventions and humanitarian law. "We want international agreements to be implemented. Nothing is known about the whereabouts of the civilian population, which is a violation of international law" – a Ukrainian source, quoted by dailymail.co.uk, reported.
Russia violates Geneva Conventions
According to estimates, Russia is holding over 10,000 prisoners of war, including many civilians. The mother of one of the soldiers spoke about the alarming condition of the men who returned to Ukraine as part of the exchange of prisoners of war. "It is indescribable: they are thin and in need of medical help" – she reported.
Just two weeks ago, chilling video recordings emerged showing the brutal execution of two Ukrainian prisoners of war. They had previously been held by Russian forces.
"The killing of prisoners of war is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and qualifies as a grave international crime" – stated a Ukrainian report based on the disturbing video footage. As reported by the "Daily Mail," the Ukrainian District Prosecutor's Office in Zaporizhzhia has launched an investigation into the violation of the rules of warfare and premeditated murder as a result of the actions of Russian forces.
