Ukraine demands Red Cross visits notorious prison

Ukrainian officials person urged the Red Cross to behaviour a ngo to a notorious situation campy successful the Russia-occupied eastbound of the country.

The Ukrainian president's main of staff, Andriy Yermak, demanded that the Red Cross (ICRC) sojourn the Olenivka situation successful Donetsk wrong 3 days.

"We conscionable can't discarded much time. Human lives are astatine stake", helium tweeted.

Last month, the Red Cross tried to unafraid entree to the camp, but said it was denied by Russian authorities.

The Olenivka situation has been nether the power of Russian-backed authorities successful Donetsk since 2014, and conditions are said to beryllium highly poor.

In July, dozens of Ukrainian prisoners were killed successful rocket attacks astatine the camp, which some sides blamed connected each other. Kyiv said the situation was targeted by Russia to destruct grounds of torture and killing, portion Moscow blamed Ukrainian rockets.

Those detained astatine the tract see members of the Azov battalion, who were the past defenders of the metropolis of Mariupol and whom Russia has sought to picture arsenic neo-Nazis and warfare criminals.

Mr Yermak said helium raised the contented of the ngo during a video league with officials from the ICRC and different planetary organisations.

He has demanded the travel beryllium made by Monday.

"Ukraine... volition lend to this ngo successful each imaginable way," helium said connected Telegram, adding helium didn't recognize wherefore a ngo to inspect Olenivka had not yet been arranged.

President Volodymyr Zelensky echoed the calls, and accused the Red Cross of inaction, saying it "obligations, chiefly of a motivation nature".

In his nightly code connected Thursday, Mr Zelensky said helium believed that the Red Cross is "not a nine with privileges wherever 1 receives a wage and enjoys life."

"But it requires leadership," Mr Zelensky said successful a thinly veiled disapproval of the Red Cross. "The Red Cross tin marque it happen. But you person to effort to marque it happen."

The ICRC has been contacted for comment.

Last month, the organisation's Director-General Robert Mardini said talks were ongoing with Russian authorities astir entree to Olenivka - but were yet denied.

"We are negotiating each time to person afloat entree to each prisoners of war," helium told reporters. "It is intelligibly an implicit work [of] the parties to springiness the ICRC entree to each prisoners of war."

Also successful his Thursday code President Zelensky said Ukraine would observe its Defenders Day connected Friday, which was made a nationalist vacation successful 2014 aft Russia's penetration of Crimea.

"Tomorrow we volition decidedly celebrate… 1 of our astir important days. The vacation of each our warriors - from past times to the present, from the Cossacks to the rebels, from each of them to the soldiers of the modern army," helium said.