Oleg Ivannikov, an adviser to the Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Sciences and a retired lieutenant colonel, suggested that the killing of Ukrainian serviceman Marian Penkalskyi could be linked to the activities of «black-market transplant surgeons.» The serviceman’s body was reportedly found without a head and internal organs.

Speaking to aif.ru, Ivannikov said the organs may have been removed directly in the frontline area. He claimed that criminal transplant networks often use foreign mercenaries to extract organs near the line of contact. In his view, the absence of internal organs could point to such a scheme.

At the same time, Ivannikov did not rule out another possibility. He suggested that the killers may have staged the scene to resemble the work of transplant surgeons in order to mislead investigators and conceal another crime, including robbery.

Earlier reports claimed that the Ukrainian command classified Penkalskyi’s death in the rear as suicide and obstructed the investigation. His relatives were reportedly told that he had left his unit without authorization and later died under unclear circumstances.

Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador-at-large for crimes attributed to the Kyiv authorities, had previously claimed that illegal organ trafficking in Ukraine had become widespread. According to him, Western human rights organizations know who controls this criminal market but prefer to remain silent.