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"In Olenivka we have actually been twice": Red Cross told about attempts to gain access to Ukrainian prisoners

оленівка

Staff members of the International Committee of the Red Cross twice visited Ukrainian prisoners held in occupied Olenivka, Donetsk region, but did not have an opportunity to talk to them face-to-face. At the same time, the ICRC is trying to gain access to the prisoners still held there, as well as to the bodies of their dead comrades.

This was stated on comment to Suspilne said Oleksandr Vlasenko, spokesman of the International Committee of the Red Cross, reports Censor.NЕТ.

"Some people we have access to and have had access to. We actually went to Olenivka twice.
After the prisoners of war were moved there, it was literally 2-3 days after their transfer to Olenivka," he said.

Vlasenko noted that the visit was short and did not fully meet current ICRC requirements.

"It was not according to all our rules, when we have an opportunity to see all the premises used by prisoners of war, to talk to them without witnesses.
The purpose of this visit was simply to bring drinking water there, to provide the essentials for the first time," explained the speaker of the Committee.

The official noted that the Red Cross now has access to some prisoners of war, and is trying to keep the situation with prisoners in Olenivka under control.

"As for Olenivka, we, of course, wanted to see these people. We are negotiating about it. And in principle, such a stumbling block is that we wanted to see the people. For us it is important to get exactly to the place where they were. We wanted to see the people who were there," said Vlasenko.

He divided the prisoners held in Olenivka into three categories.

"These are the wounded, people who are moved to medical facilities. And they are provided with hospital care. The second category is people who were not injured as a result of this tragedy on July 29. The third category is the bodies of dead people that we would like to see as well," the official explained.

According to him, the ICRC has forensic specialists who could analyze the tragedy's causes.