ICRC says it has been denied access to Ukrainian POWs held in Russia for two years
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it has lacked access to Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russian detention since 2024.
Moscow, Russia. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it has been denied access to Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Russian detention for two years.
Thousands of Ukrainian prisoners of war are believed to be held in Russian detention centres, where UN investigators have gathered evidence of systematic torture.
Geneva Conventions
The 1949 Geneva Conventions provide for the Swiss-based ICRC to visit prisoners of war to monitor their conditions, treatment, food and medical care.
Russia denies torture or other forms of maltreatment of prisoners of war. The Russian diplomatic mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
ICRC position
“We can confirm the lack of access to POWs in Russia since 2024,” an ICRC spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric raised the issue during a trip to Russia last month.
“If you want to uphold humanity, you have to talk about detention and what happens in prison,” Spoljaric told the BBC.
This news item was generated automatically by Cyprus Inform from publicly available materials. Report an error →