Red Cross could not name number of Ukrainians whom organization representatives visited in captivity

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has refused to name the number of captured servicemen of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, whom representatives of the organization visited in Russian captivity.

The Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets wrote about this on his Facebook page.

Lubinets recalled that the ICRC is an organization that, in accordance with its mandate, should ensure the safety and health of prisoners of war.

During a meeting with the head of the ICRC delegation to Ukraine Jurg Eglin and ICRC multilateral and humanitarian coordinator Wendy Julia Fleury, Lubinets asked this question.

"I did not receive a clear answer. The delegation noted that this is confidential information. I assume that this figure is ten times less than the number of Russian prisoners visited in Ukraine. "It's horrible," ICRC officials told me. "However, how can we work if the Russian Federation does not comply with the laws and customs of warfare?" the delegation asks," Lubinets wrote.

In a conversation with Jurg and Fleury, the Ukrainian Ombudsman noted that in Ukraine they understand what the Russian Federation is. At the same time, he emphasized that the country wants the Red Cross to fulfill its mandate in full.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on October 17, the Red Cross said that representatives of the organization expect when the aggressor country Russia will provide them with security guarantees and access to captured Ukrainians.

At the same time, in early March 2023, it became known that the ICRC was able to visit captured Ukrainians in temporarily occupied Donetsk and Horlivka.

Earlier, we wrote that the Office of the President of Ukraine initiated the creation of a new international organization, since the Red Cross has not demonstrated effectiveness all the time since the start of the full-scale invasion.

To request a correction, please send an email.