The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) continues to work in Ukraine, the organization denied Reuters information about the suspension of activities. This was stated in a conversation with The Insider by the press secretary of the ICRC delegation in Ukraine Oleksandr Vlasenko.
“This information is not true. I know that we continue to work in Ukraine, as we did. It’s hard for me to say where Reuters sources got this information from.”
Earlier on October 19, Reuters reported , citing a spokesman for the organization, that the ICRC was temporarily shutting down "for security reasons."
The agency's message appeared on the day of Russia's massive shelling of the territory of Ukraine. Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar, citing the General Staff, said that 83 missiles had already been fired at the cities of the country, 43 of them shot down air defense systems.
The International Red Cross, in violation of all the rules, opened a representative office in the Rostov region and helps to take people to Russia, Dmitry Lubinets, chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, told The Insider. According to all international conventions, the ICRC is obligated to assist in the evacuation of civilians only if this is agreed upon by the two parties to the conflict. According to Lubinets, Ukraine has never given permission for the Mariupol-Novoazovsk-Rostov corridor, but the Red Cross is still actively helping Russia.
“We record this data, and people confirm it. We have two Red Crosses – international and Ukrainian, they are different organizations. And it is the international that actually plays along with Russia.”