Russia provides data on Ukrainians held in Russian captivity to the Central Tracing Agency of the International Committee of the Red Cross very selectively.
This was stated by the Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances, Artur Dobroserdov, who spoke in an interview with Ukrinform.
“When the war began, the Ukrainian state designated the responsible body in our country, the Russian Federation determined the responsible body in their country, and if we have prisoners, we must exchange lists of those who are in our captivity through the Central Tracing Agency. Accordingly, they must provide data on our defenders being in their captivity. Unfortunately, the latter is happening very selectively,” he said.
According to the envoy, the Ukrainian authorities have recorded facts where the bodies of those who had previously been confirmed to be in captivity were received upon repatriation.
“Therefore, we logically believe that everyone, even those who are in captivity, should be declared missing and priority investigative actions should be carried out. We should take biological samples. And then, God forbid, if a citizen dies while in captivity and their body is repatriated, we will have a chance to identify that body,” the commissioner said.
Dobroserdov noted that the bodies that are returned are in most cases in very poor condition and cannot be visually identified.
As Ukrinform reported, an independent international commission investigating violations in Ukraine has found that the Federal Security Service, the Federal Penitentiary Service, and the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation apply torture to Ukrainians as part of a coordinated state policy.
Source: Envoy on POW swap lists: Russia provides data “very selectively” through ICRC
