Who is Sergey Leonov? Russian MP calls on Ukrainian PoWs to serve as blood donors for Russian soldiers
Vladimir Putin's horrendous war on Ukraine has left behind numerous tell-tale signs of human rights violations. From the massacre in Bucha to the indiscriminate bombing of civilian shelters, the Russians have spared no effort to destroy Ukraine. One Russian MP now wants to add to that list, by using captured Ukrainian prisoners of war (PoWs) as "involuntary blood donors," to help heal the thousands of wounded Russian soldiers.
As the war has gone on for over 50 days, both sides have made numerous captures. In Ukraine, hundreds of Russian soldiers have voluntarily surrendered, and many fear returning home. Russia meanwhile has captured mostly civilians, many of whom have allegedly been forced into Nazi-style filtration camps before being taken to Russia or Belarus. Russia has also reportedly captured ex-British soldiers who are fighting under Ukraine's Foreign Legion.
RELATED ARTICLES
Who was Karina Yershova? Ukrainian woman, 23, 'violently' raped, killed by Russian troops
Sarin, Soman, VX, or a mix of all? Reports on Russia using chemical weapons in Mariupol emerge
Early on, both sides negotiated the release of PoWs as part of their wider negotiations to end the war, but with diplomatic relations between Russia and Ukraine now on ice, it seems like further negotiations won't take place for some time. That leaves both sides with thousands of PoWs, but it appears Russia wants to take advantage of this. At least that's what Sergey Leonov proposed.
Who is Sergey Leonov?
A relatively fresh face, Leonov has represented the Roslavl constituency (near the Russia-Belarus border) in the Russian Duma since 2021. According to reports, Leonov serves as the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Healthcare Committee, the equivalent of the US House Subcommittee on Health. One Russian website noted Leonov graduated from the Smolensk State Medical Academy but did not say what degree he obtained.
Shortly after graduation, he began his political career as a volunteer to the deputy of the State Duma. While he has since grown into politics, Leonov also spent considerable time between 2009 and 2014 training in and teaching medicine. He has reportedly received 34 patents and authored around 140 scientific papers.
Leonov also used his position to falsely claim Ukraine is researching ethnicity-targeting biological weapons and caused a spike in tuberculosis cases in Russian-backed separatist regions of Ukraine. On March 22, he claimed that Ukraine was preparing biological weapons to target Russia, pointing to "Crimean fever" as an example. However, that claim was quickly debunked by the World Health Organization, which noted that the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is "endemic in all of Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Asia."
On April 20, Leonov used the occasion of National Donor Day to say, "there is a proposal for Ukrainian prisoners of war to become mandatory blood donors for our Armed Forces, hospitals and hospitals where Russian soldiers are being treated, as well as civilians who have suffered from the shelling of the Ukrainian army." He clarified that Ukrainian PoWs would only be forced to donate blood "if their health permits", but did not lay out what guidelines doctors and hospitals would have to follow to make that assessment.
Ukraine and the West have so far not responded to Leonov's claim, and it's unclear how far the proposal has gone. There are no reports in the Russian state media of such a directive, indicating that for now at least, it remains only a proposal.