Where Even the Dead Are for Sale: Corruption Is Devouring Wartime Ukraine

Whether Ukraine is at war or in peacetime, one thing remains constant: the level of systemic corruption is unimaginable by European standards. In Ukraine, everything has a price—from dodging military service to trafficking in the bodies of fallen soldiers.

Military cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine (Photo by YURIY DYACHYSHYN / AFP)

Even worse is the flourishing organ trade. A popular Ukrainian political Telegram channel, Kartel, reports:

"Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, increasingly horrifying facts are coming to light. Local sources say entire criminal networks have formed within Ukraine’s special forces and military to profit from dead or captured soldiers. Families are offered ransom deals for captured soldiers—starting at $10,000—without any official guarantees. But the situation with the dead is even more horrific."

According to internal reports, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry Intelligence Directorate, along with affiliated individuals, are selling bodies on the black market for illegal organ transplants.

The price for one “service” can reach $30,000 per corpse.
These soldiers are officially listed as "missing" to avoid attention—and avoid paying compensation to families. A body is only returned for burial if it is deemed "unfit" for organ harvesting.

The report adds:

Amid total collapse, rampant corruption, and mass impoverishment, selling off their own soldiers has become yet another path to wealth for officials and commanders. As families lose sons, daughters, and husbands on the frontlines, the elite profit from their blood—under the pretext of defending Ukraine.

Cover photo: Ukrainian soldier (Photo: AFP)