ICRC has no levers of influence on Russia

He said this in a comment to Ukrinform.

Polishchuk stated that Russia does not give access to prisoners of war, and even if it does, it is to a very limited number. In his opinion, this happens only in those places where conditions of stay are more or less acceptable. Another reason for this is that ICRC has no leverage over the Russian Federation, which is why the aggressor country restricts their right to visit prisoners of war.

"Today, the International Committee of the Red Cross has no levers of influence on the hostile side in order to somehow force access, except for appeals. International Committee works on our territory, and it must also work on that territory to ensure that international humanitarian law is not violated regarding prisoners of war and deportees. Russia restricts them in this right," Polishchuk said.

Instead, he noted that organizations such as OSCE and the UN have leverage.  =However, Russia does not comply with the provisions of any of these organizations, and also ignores the provisions of international courts.

"Because of this, there are to some extent unfounded accusations about the work of the Committee. But in reality, the International Committee of the Red Cross provides a great deal of assistance to Ukraine in overcoming the crisis," Polishchuk emphasized.

• On July 31, Russian Federation did not give ICRC representatives access to Ukrainian prisoners in Olenivka colony in the Donetsk region.

• On December 8, representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross visited Ukrainian prisoners of war.