After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has asked for immediate access to all prisoners of war.
In an apparent response to comments made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy, the committee also stated that it has been “ready for months” to visit the Olenivka penal facility.
Speaking in his nightly video address on Thursday, Mr Zelenskyy accused the ICRC of inaction in upholding the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
In the latest in a series of Ukrainian criticisms of the ICRC, Mr Zelenskyy also said no one had yet visited Olenivka – a notorious camp in eastern Ukraine where dozens of Ukrainian POWs died in an explosion and fire in July.
The ICRC should be granted the right to visit prisoners wherever they are held under the Third Geneva Convention.
“We share the frustration regarding our lack of access to all prisoners of war (POWs) held in the international armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” the ICRC said in a statement.
“We have been working since February to obtain access to check on the conditions and treatment of POWs and keep their families informed about their loved ones.
“We have been able to visit hundreds of POWs but there are thousands more who we have not been able to see.
“We want to stress that our teams are ready on the ground—and have been ready for months—to visit the Olenivka penal facility and any other location where POWs are held. Which Zelenksyy called for overnight.
“However, beyond being granted access by high levels of authority, this requires practical arrangements to materialize on the ground.
“We cannot access by force a place of detention or internment where we have not been admitted.”