Russia asks Red Cross to pay visit to Ukrainian POWs

Russia s ombudsman asked the organization to allow a visit to servicemen captured by Ukraine.

Russian human rights ombudsman asked the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC to help in arranging a visit to servicemen held captive by Ukrainian forces amid Moscow's military offensive.

In a post on Monday, Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova noted that the ICRC had served as the last resort for relatives of prisoners of war in the past, as it was the only authority that could provide some information about their loved ones. According to the ombudsman, neither the Russian government nor the soldiers relatives have received any information about POWs held in Ukraine.

I turned to the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mr. Peter Maurer, with a request to provide information about Russian prisoners of war and help me or my representatives visit them. Moskalkova wrote that I really hope that my other appeal will not go unnoticed.

She said Moscow is unaware of the psychological and physical condition of Russian servicemen. It is not clear whether they are getting medical assistance or if the provisions of the Geneva Convention are being observed by the Ukrainian side.

It would be very bitter to realize that such a respected organization as the ICRC had forgotten about the universal principles of humanism, and is guided by double standards in relation to our prisoners, as well as many other international structures, the ombudsman said.

She also claimed that Russia is complying with all international requirements when it comes to the treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war. Moskalkova visited one of the Black Sea Fleet units in early April to make sure that the Ukrainian prisoners are provided with everything necessary and their rights, protected by the Geneva Convention, are fully respected. They have three hot meals a day, medical care, they have a TV, books and newspapers, and they are provided with three hot meals a day. Moskalkova claimed that they did not expect such a human attitude towards themselves.

She said that the exchange of prisoners of war is being carried out in one form or another, as revealed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Since the beginning of the Russian military attack on Ukraine, Moscow and Kiev have accused each other of violence towards prisoners. In an interview with RT earlier this month, the head of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin said that a number of allegations relating to the torture of Russian POWs by Ukrainian forces were being investigated.

His remarks were followed by a statement by Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudsman Lyudmila Denisova, who accused Russian occupiers and racists of torturing Ukrainian soldiers captured in Mariupol. According to Denisova, the Ukrainians were threatened with murder, beaten and humiliated, as well as being deprived of water and medical assistance.

Russia attacked its neighboring state in late February, after Ukraine didn't implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German and French-brokered protocol was designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.

The Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists that the Russian offensive was unprovoked and has denied that it was planning to retake the two republics by force.