Ukraine's Foreign Ministry comments on IRFC's refusal to exclude Russian unit 

Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, shared the information.

According to him, in April of this year, the IFRC established the Governing Board Oversight Group to investigate the activities of the Russian Red Cross.

Two weeks after the establishment of this Board, Lubinets met with IFRC President Kate Forbes and presented her with official documents and materials confirming the suspected crimes of the Russian Red Cross.

However, the Federation has now released a report on the activities of the Russian Red Cross that does not mention any crimes, according to the ombudsman.

In particular, the Federation “essentially recognized” Russia's occupation of Ukrainian territories and confirmed that the Russian Red Cross visited these temporarily occupied areas, Lubinets emphasized.

“But the Russian Red Cross should operate solely within its own territory. This is a violation of the Federation's charter by the Russian Red Cross and also infringes upon Ukraine's territorial integrity. The Federation has justified such actions with references to 'innovative approaches' and 'humanitarian goals,'” the ombudsman stated.

Furthermore, he noted that the report fails to mention that the Russian Red Cross stole property belonging to the Ukrainian Red Cross in the temporarily occupied Crimea and collaborated with the occupation camp Artek, whose director is sanctioned for involvement in the deportation of Ukrainian children.

“Despite the fact that the president of the IFRC had all this data, it was not taken into account. The report also states that the Russian Red Cross remains a member of the IFRC, and its head continues to serve on the Federation's board,” Lubinets said.

He announced the launch of a campaign to inform all donors who fund the Federation, emphasizing that partners “should pay attention to the fact that they are contributing to an organization that covers up Russian crimes.”

The Ombudsman believes that all IFRC funding should be redirected to the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and to implement additional programs aimed at protecting Ukrainians

“In my opinion, the IFRC has become a lawyer for the bloody Russian Red Cross. Anyone who defends a criminal becomes a criminal themselves,” Lubinets added.

Response of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that it was disappointed with the decision of the Board of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) regarding the Russian Red Cross and emphasized that the report lacked a proper assessment of the illegal presence and activities of the Russian Red Cross in the Ukrainian temporarily occupied territories.

“Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the Board's decision does not address the activities of the so-called Donetsk Red Cross and Luhansk Red Cross, which perform auxiliary functions for the occupation authorities of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied part of Ukrainian territory, and the role of the Russian Red Cross in creating and supporting the above-mentioned illegal puppet formations,” the statement said.

The Ministry emphasized that the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) is the only recognized Red Cross society that carries out humanitarian activities throughout Ukraine and is authorized to establish local Red Cross branches.

Despite the fact that the Donetsk and Luhansk regional branches of the URCS were forced to temporarily leave the occupied territories, they are still integral components of the URCS and continue to function, the agency added.

“The Ukrainian side expects the IFRC to continue monitoring and providing objective and impartial assessments of the ongoing illegal activities of the Russian Red Cross in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine,” the Foreign Ministry added.

• The French media reported that Qatar had allegedly announced an agreement with Ukraine and Russia “to exchange thirteen children” under its auspices. However, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets strongly denied this information.