Captured Russians suspected of war crimes denied phone calls – Coordination Center

This was reported by Bohdan Okhrimenko, head of the Secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, in an interview with Ukrinform.

According to him, when the Russian military was allowed to call Russia, they expected the opposite side to respond in kind, i.e. to provide Ukrainian prisoners with a similar opportunity.

“We hoped that the Russian side would provide an opportunity to call our prisoners. This did not happen. Therefore, we adopted amendments to the Cabinet of Ministers’ resolution that defines the procedure for granting this opportunity. All enemy prisoners of war who are suspected of committing war crimes will not be able to make calls. We are currently working on an instruction that will determine the procedure for applying this resolution. Until the instruction is ready, the provision of such a service is suspended. It is allowed only in exceptional cases,” Okhrimenko said.

According to him, the Russians said they would not allow prisoners to make phone calls, as the Geneva Convention provides for correspondence.

“But ask the mothers of the prisoners how often they received letters. Only 30% of them received one or more letters. 70% of families have never received any letters from their relatives. This is about how the Russian Federation fulfills the requirements of the Geneva Convention. And how the ICRC, for its part, demands it,” he added.

Last September, Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets said that Russians still have the opportunity to write letters, but they no longer have the right to make phone calls.

In the spring of 2024, Ukrainians petitioned the Cabinet of Ministers to suspend the right to telephone communications for Russian prisoners of war.

Prime Minister Shmyhal rejected the idea in his response. He emphasized that phone calls are important so that Russians are not afraid to surrender.

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