"Russia has not established a single prisoner-of-war camp during the war," said Yusov
Throughout the entire period of the full-scale war, the Russian Federation has not established a single official camp for prisoners of war, thereby grossly violating the provisions of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law.
This was stated by Andriy Yusov, Deputy Head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
The statement was made during the presentation of the study “Violations of Prisoners of War’s Rights to Health Care and Medical Treatment: Consequences, Classifications, and Prospects.”
According to Yusov, the very fact that there are no official camps for prisoners of war is already evidence of a systematic violation of international law by Russia.
“In four years of full-scale invasion, the Russian Federation has not established a single camp for prisoners of war. This fact alone could serve as the basis for an entire public advocacy campaign by Ukraine directed at the international community. What else needs to be demonstrated about the aggressor state? What further evidence of violations of humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions is needed if the basic stipulated requirements are being blatantly and publicly disregarded?” Yusov emphasized.
He also reported that the Ukrainian side has information on approximately 300 locations where Ukrainian military and civilian prisoners are being held on Russian territory and in temporarily occupied territories.
At the same time, according to the representative of the Coordination Headquarters, international humanitarian organizations still do not have access to these facilities.
“The International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations have never had access to these locations, and they still do not,” Yusov emphasized.
Ukraine has repeatedly called on the international community to increase pressure on Russia over violations of prisoners of war’s rights, the denial of medical care, and the refusal to allow international missions access to detention sites.
Earlier, Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights, harshly criticized the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), accusing the organization of systematically failing to fulfill its mandate to protect Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that negotiations on an exchange between Ukraine and Russia are ongoing. The Ukrainian side has submitted the so-called “list of 1,000,” compiled based on the length of time individuals have spent in Russian captivity.
According to Yury Ushakov, an adviser to the Russian dictator, Ukraine and Russia are currently working on lists of people who could be included in the exchange. “Today, the agencies of the Russian Federation and Ukraine are to finalize the lists for the prisoner of war exchange within the framework of the ceasefire. A 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine could take place fairly quickly if the lists are agreed upon,” Ushakov told Russian media.
