Ukraine and Russia – on both sides there are thousands of prisoners of war. Ukraine now wants to enable the seriously injured to return home quickly. But Russia’s involvement remains open.
Ukraine will set up a so-called “mixed medical commission,” military officials said at a press conference. An instrument expressly provided for by the Geneva Conventions, so that at least the seriously injured prisoners of war can quickly return to their homes.
The commission will examine the Russian prisoners. If they are seriously injured, Ukraine will hand them over to Russia within three months. Andriy Yusov, who is responsible for prisoners of war in the Ukrainian military, promised that.
Russia does not comment on the participation
Such a “mixed medical commission” consists of three people, explained Jusow. Of these, two doctors would come from neutral countries and one doctor from the country in which the prisoner of war is located. “We hope that the aggressor state will also support this initiative.” By this he means Russia, which has not yet commented on whether it wants to participate in the format.
The Ukrainian initiative comes almost to the day a year and a half after the Russian war of aggression began. According to reports in Kiev, Ukraine has been able to free almost 2,600 soldiers and civilians from Russian captivity since the beginning of the war. But on both sides there are thousands more prisoners of war, their exact number is unknown. And new prisoners are added every day.
Commission was exceptional in previous wars
The International Red Cross expressly supports the Ukrainian initiative. So far, however, the system of “mixed medical commissions”, although provided for in the Geneva Conventions, has hardly been used, said Jürg Eglin, head of the International Red Cross delegation in Kiev.
“Since the Geneva Conventions were established – in 1949 after the Second World War – this situation has been relatively rare,” he explains. That only happened twice: in the Vietnam War in the 1960s and in the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. “And now we have a situation where Ukraine clearly states its intentions to establish this commission and also clearly shows that they want to respect and implement this international law,” says Eglin.
Doctors from Ukraine see their responsibility
The Red Cross has already found doctors who would like to take part, including some from Switzerland and Ethiopia. The pressure is increasing on Russia to join the initiative – and set up a “mixed commission” itself.
Ukraine has also already named its representative. Doctor Oleksandr Hluschanytsya promises that he will do this as objectively as possible: “If you are a doctor and if a criminal is brought to you who is losing blood and needs your help, then don’t think about who he is.”
Ukraine now wants to set up its commission as quickly as possible.