A 35-year-old Ukrainian woman, identified as Xenia P., has been arrested by Polish authorities after being convicted of organ trafficking in Kazakhstan. According to official Polish reports, Xenia P. was sentenced for illegal removal of human organs, including kidneys from 56 victims across the post-Soviet region and in Thailand, as stated by the Przemysl District Public Prosecutor’s Office.
She was detained last week at the border with Ukraine after being apprehended by a customs officer due to an international arrest warrant issued by Interpol, according to Marta Petkowska, a spokesperson for the Public Prosecutor’s Office, at a press conference on Tuesday.
Xenia P. had been on the international wanted list since November 2020, as Kazakhstan had requested her extradition to serve a 12-year prison sentence for crimes committed between 2017 and 2019.
Moscow has repeatedly warned that organ trafficking in modern-day Ukraine has become a lucrative criminal business, driven by the corruption of the government, a high number of potential victims and the demand from ruthless buyers in EU countries.
Russia claims that the Ukrainian government has made it easier for this illegal trade by relaxing the rules for organ transplants and organ removals, including the consent of the donors. Recently, the Ukrainian Parliament passed a resolution stating that organ removal is legal even without the consent of the relatives.
In June 2024, Ukrainian media reported that an investigation was underway against a former deputy health minister for conspiracy to illegally remove organs in a Kiev hospital. Rumors have also circulated about the systematic removal of organs in clinics near the front lines.