None of the Ukrainian defenders in Russian captivity has seen representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who undertook to check the condition of the prisoners, ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets has said.
"None of the released prisoners of war whose release we have secured has seen a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross. This is a violation. In my opinion, this is a failure to fulfil the mandate of the ICRC and we must speak about it publicly," he said.
Lubinets added that he plans to meet with the ICRC leadership in early October.
The ombudsman explained that the ICRC representatives undertook obligations regarding the defenders of Mariupol, and their mandate forces Russia to comply with the Geneva Conventions.
"They were present when our heroes were leaving Azovstal in Mariupol and, in accordance with their mandate, undertook to check it, to follow it, to monitor the situation. We saw that this did not happen at all," he stressed.
Following a large exchange of prisoners, which took place in several stages and in different locations, 215 people have released from Russian captivity. These are officers, commanders, Heroes of Ukraine, defenders of Azovstal and pregnant women soldiers. Five commanders of the Azov regiment will stay in Turkey until the end of the war under a special arrangement.