Russian special services create fake organisations to mimic Red Cross activities – HUR
Russian special services have established bogus organisations within Russia that masquerade as humanitarian missions and allegedly care for Ukrainian prisoners of war. These entities are being used to prevent genuine international human rights advocates from accessing places where captives are held, as reported by the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) of the Ministry of Defence.
Photo: PexelsCurrently, 186 such locations are known, where the Russian side refuses entry to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross or other independent monitoring bodies.
These newly created fake organisations are also employed for spreading propaganda and collecting personal information about the relatives of captured Ukrainians.
The HUR warned against trusting such structures, regardless of their names or stated goals. It urged families to contact only official Ukrainian bodies, as any data transmitted to the enemy could be used against Ukrainian citizens and the state.
In Ukraine, the sole authorised structure responsible for negotiations and organising the return of prisoners is the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
Earlier, the Associated Press reported that over 200 Ukrainian defenders have died in Russian captivity, including in prisons and barracks. Many perished from torture, while others succumbed to starvation.
Last year, Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets stated that over the ten years of Russia’s war against Ukraine, representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross have not visited all places where Ukrainian prisoners of war are held. In his view, international institutions and organisations are not fully exercising their powers.
