The ICRC recently had access to Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced Thursday that it had recently had access to Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war, visits that until then had been extremely limited and sporadic. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has often and harshly criticized the ICRC for not doing enough to gain access to Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russian forces. The ICRC itself had expressed frustration at not being able to fulfill its mission, which is nonetheless enshrined in the Geneva Conventions, which define the laws of war.
“Last week, the ICRC conducted a two-day visit to Ukrainian prisoners of war. Another visit will take place this week. Russian prisoners of war were also visited during the same period. Further visits are planned through the end of the month,” the ICRC said in a statement. The delegates were able to assess the living conditions and treatment of the prisoners and share news with their families, the organization said. She was also able to distribute books, personal care products, blankets and warm clothes. The ICRC did not provide any information on the living conditions of the prisoners.
Questioned by Agence France-Presse, the ICRC did not immediately reply on the number of detainees visited or the places Red Cross teams were able to go. “These visits represent an important step forward because they help preserve humanity in the brutality of the international armed conflict,” ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said in the statement. “We can assess how prisoners of war are being treated and ensure their families are kept informed. I hope that after these visits we will have more regular access to all POWs,” she added. However, the organization is not satisfied with these visits. “The recent visits are an important step forward. Nevertheless, the ICRC must be granted unhindered access to all prisoners of war whom it must be able to see repeatedly and without witnesses, wherever they are detained,” the statement underlined.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine recently detailed the abuses suffered by prisoners of war at the hands of their Russian or Ukrainian prison guards, citing in particular instances of torture. If the Ukrainian authorities allowed unimpeded access to the Russian detention camps, they had to rely on the testimonies of the released Ukrainian prisoners before they could return to the Russian-controlled camps. “The vast majority” of respondents captured by Russian forces and their allied armed groups “told us they were tortured and ill-treated during their detention,” Bogner said.