Russia said on Thursday that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had permission to visit the Olenivka prison, where dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in July under unclear circumstances, but those visits were blocked by the security situation, AFP reported. .

Since last week, Kyiv has accused the International Committee of the Red Cross of “inaction” regarding Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia, and claims that the lack of visits puts the prisoners at risk of torture.

The ICRC said it shares the disappointment of the Ukrainian authorities, but such visits are only possible with permission and security guarantees.

The organization called on both sides to facilitate access to their prisoners of war and expressed particular concern over the lack of access to the Russian-controlled Olenivka prison in eastern Ukraine.

Each side blames the other for the deaths since the end of July. The United Nations warns of the dire state of health of those who remain in the facility.

Gennady Gatilov, Russia’s ambassador to Geneva, said on Thursday that the Russian Ministry of Defense authorized the ICRC’s visit to Olenivka on August 4.

“They have given the green light,” he said at a rare press briefing organized by the Association of Correspondents of the United Nations in Geneva (ACANU), but stressed that the situation “is changing from a military point of view.”

“It is not easy to provide the security” required by the ICRC, “because the bombing continues,” the diplomat explained, adding: “From the point of view of security… this situation does not allow such a visit to Olenivka. .”

But Gatilov said he discussed access to prisoners of war with the new head of the ICRC, Mirjana Spolarich Egger.

Gatilov noted that Russia took a “constructive position” and allowed five to six visits by Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Russia in recent months. There are ongoing discussions about whether to allow more.

But “we have more than 6,000 Ukrainian prisoners, and sometimes it is impossible to organize all the visits,” Gatilov said, rejecting accusations of ill-treatment of prisoners of war held by the Russians.

He accused Ukraine of “torturing” his countrymen captured after the Russian invasion on February 24.

The Geneva Conventions require all parties to international armed conflicts to grant the ICRC access to all prisoners of war to assess their situation. The organization does not publish its findings, but tries to cooperate with various parties to improve the living conditions of prisoners.

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