ICRC did not visit captive Ukrainian POWs in Russia, ombudsman says
Dmytro Lubinets will seek a meeting with the leadership of the International Committee of the Red Cross over POWs (Photo:SBU)
Ukraine’s parliamentary ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets will seek a meeting with the leadership of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to discuss the organization failing to fulfill its mandate in regards to Ukrainian POWs in Russia, Lubinets said in a Telegram post on Sept. 24.
According to Lubinets, not a single member of the recently-freed Ukrainian POWs ever met with ICRC representatives during their internment in Russia.
“I think ICRC has failed to fulfill its mandate, and we ought to say so publicly,” said Lubinets.
“Their mandate should compel the aggressor state to fulfill its obligations under the Geneva Convention.”
The ombudsman noted that ICRC officials were present when Mariupol defenders surrendered to Russian forces, and therefore were responsible for ensuring these POWs were treated in accordance with international law.
Lubinets is expected to meet with ICRC in Geneva, Switzerland, in early October.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged POWs on Sept. 22, with 215 Mariupol defenders being swapped for 55 Russian soldiers and Viktor Medvedchuk – a fugitive pro-Russian politician and personal friend of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
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