Geneva, June 14 (AFP/APP): The Red Cross said Wednesday it had visited 1,500 prisoners of war on both sides of the conflict in Ukraine, often sharing desperately longed-for news with their families.
The International Committee of the Red Cross stressed the importance of access to both Russian and Ukrainian POWs.
The ICRC said such visits are vital for checking detention conditions, offering support and sometimes books, hygiene items and other personal necessities, and also to relay information between the prisoners and their loved ones.
“For the prisoners of war and their families who have been able to share news, the impact is… immeasurable,” Ariane Bauer, ICRC’s regional director for Europe and central Asia, told reporters.
The ICRC and its partners have so far delivered around 2,500 personal messages between POWs and their families in the Ukraine conflict, she said.
The organisation said it had also helped provide around 5,500 families with information on the fate of their loved ones in the conflict.
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