Red Cross refuses to disclose number of Ukrainian POWs it has visited

Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman Lubinets posted this on Facebook following a meeting with the head of the ICRC delegation to Ukraine, Jürg Eglin, and the ICRC's Multilateral and Humanitarian Coordinator, Wendy Julia Fleury.

“First of all, about Ukrainian prisoners of war. After all, the ICRC is an organization that, in accordance with its mandate, must guarantee the protection of their lives and health. But how many prisoners of war in Russia did the ICRC visit? I did not receive a clear answer. The delegation said that this was confidential information,” the ombudsman wrote.

“I assume that this number is ten times less than the number of Russian prisoners of war visited on the territory of Ukraine,” he added.

The Red Cross also told Lubinets that it has no new information about the tragedy in Olenivka, where Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed.

“It will soon be one year since this horrific event and cynical step by the Russian Federation. Does the ICRC have any new information? No, it does not. This is the answer I received,” the ombudsman wrote.

He emphasized that the Red Cross does not fully fulfill its mandate and does not show initiative. However, Lubinets does not give up hope of reaching out to the organization to get support.

• In July 2022, Russian forces shelled the colony in Olenivka where Ukrainian prisoners of war were held. About 40 people were killed and 130 others were injured.

Read also: When evacuation is a death sentence: How the Red Cross failed to prevent genocide in Olenivka