The Red Cross is defending itself against criticism from Kyiv that it has not yet visited numerous prisoners of war. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has moral obligations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj said last week and demanded immediate visits. “Blaming the ICRC for being denied full and immediate access does not help prisoners of war or their families,” the ICRC said in a statement. Eleven employees, including a doctor, are available for such visits in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region, but have not yet received permission.
This must come from the participating states. According to the Geneva Conventions, they are obliged to grant access to the ICRC. For almost eight months, the ICRC has been demanding in vain that all places where prisoners of war are interned – including the Olenivka prison camp – be allowed to visit freely and regularly.