Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, has accused the head of the Russian Red Cross delegation of manipulating information in an interview with propagandists. Lubinets made this statement on his Telegram channel.
"I learned from the media that the head of the Russian Red Cross delegation gave an interview to Russian propagandists. In the interview, he claimed that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) staff in Ukraine and Russia had visited 3,100 prisoners of war. However, he did not specify how many visits took place in each country. The reason for this is that almost all of the visited prisoners are Russian POWs held by Ukraine, as our country steadfastly adheres to the Geneva Conventions," Lubinets explained.
He recalled that during the latest prisoner exchange on July 17, Russian POWs informed the Ombudsman's Office staff that delegations frequently visited their detention sites, so often that they could not remember who visited them.
"Furthermore, during meetings with the families of Ukrainian POWs, ICRC representatives, under the guise of neutrality, often state that 'both sides' should grant access to the organization's representatives. They forget to add that it is the Russian side that needs to change its practice of denying ICRC workers access to the places where Ukrainian defenders are held," Lubinets emphasized.
He highlighted that, based on conversations with returned Ukrainian defenders, the vast majority of them had never seen or spoken with ICRC representatives during their captivity.
"I urge the International Committee of the Red Cross to use accurate numbers and not mislead the most respected group of people in Ukraine—the families of POWs. Additionally, I call on the ICRC to show courage and persistence in ensuring visits to Ukrainian POWs," Lubinets concluded.
