Kyiv on Tuesday condemned the “inaction” of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in helping its soldiers held by the Russians, whom the international organization has not yet been able to visit, writes AFP.

“Unfortunately, with every exchange, we see that the inaction of the ICRC has led to the fact that our prisoners of war and civilian hostages are tortured daily with starvation and electric shock,” Ukrainian human rights defender Dmytro Lubinets quoted the president’s statement as saying.

According to him, the ICRC does not fulfill its mandate, which provides for the visit of military and civilian prisoners in conflict zones.

The Head of the Administration of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, stated that “Ukraine expects and demands from the ICRC appropriate determination to gain access to Ukrainian prisoners in Olenivka.”

Sanitary conditions in the prison, located in the Russian-occupied part of eastern Donetsk region, have been widely condemned by the UN, and Kyiv has repeatedly requested a visit from the ICRC team.

“The ICRC does not work to protect our prisoners,” Yermak said, condemning Russia’s “destructive and cynical” position.

Last Friday, the ICRC called for “immediate and unimpeded” access to thousands of prisoners of war during the conflict in Ukraine, whom it has so far failed to visit.

ICRC spokesman Ewan Watson repeated that “our teams are ready on the ground” to visit the Olenivska colony, but also refused to specify whether Kyiv and Moscow are cooperating more actively with the organization.

The ICRC has already been able to visit “hundreds of prisoners of war from both camps,” Watson said, noting that his organization has set up a system to deliver news to families and relatives.

___

• Follow the latest events of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HotNews.ro