Ukraine claims establishing camps for Russian POWs in accordance with Geneva Convention

Ukraine on Saturday, March 19 has claimed that there were so many Russian troops captured as prisoners of war that Kyiv had to set up “full-fledged camps” to accommodate the soldiers. The special camps set up by the Ukrainian Army “is providing them with almost” the same level of medical care as Ukrainian soldiers,” Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Venediktova said, according to the Ukrainian newspaper The Kyiv Independent. Russian prisoners are being treated in accordance with Geneva Convention, he added. 

Ukrainian military was criticized by the rights groups for portraying the Russian Prisoners of war during the invasion on media channels and Ukrainian press to discuss their roles in Moscow’s military invasion. POWs must have their rights respected under the Third Geneva Convention, the Human Rights Watch demanded in a statement. Ukrainian authorities “should stop posting on social media and messaging apps videos of captured Russian soldiers that expose them to public curiosity, in particular those that show them being humiliated or intimidated,” the HRW asserted. It urged Ukraine’s Army not to violate Russian soldiers’ protections under the Geneva Conventions intended to ensure dignified treatment of captured combatants on all sides.

Ukraine asks Russian mothers 'to come to Kyiv to take their sons'

Arestovych had earlier suggested that Ukraine would have to resort to setting up camps to hold the Russian prisoners of war [POWs] as the country’s Armed Forces claimed that they captured dozens of Russian troops and seized their armoured tanks as they advanced into the civilian areas. Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to Ukraine's military of Internal Affairs took his Facebook account and published a list of Russian soldiers that were captured by Ukraine’s Army with the details.

The former requested Russian mothers to come to Ukraine's capital Kyiv to take their sons. “Mothers of Russia, come to Kyiv and take your sons. After the hell they endured invading our land, we know for sure that none of them will ever raise a finger against Ukraine again. It was decided to return captured Russian soldiers to their mothers if they come for them to Ukraine, to Kyiv," Gerashchenko’s post on Facebook read. 

Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the main security arm of the government, posted videos of the captured Russian soldiers who were forced to reveal their names, identification numbers, and other personal information, including their parents’ names and home addresses in the Ukraine Army’s Telegram account with 868,000 subscribers. "I want to tell our commander-in-chief to stop terror acts in Ukraine because when we come back we'll rise against him,” one captured Russian soldier who appeared under duress was heard saying in the footage of Ukraine’s Army.

“Russian President Vladimir Putin has given orders to commit crimes. It's not just to demilitarize Ukraine or defeat the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but now cities of peaceful civilians are being destroyed,” another Russian soldier said on camera. "The crimes that we committed; we all will be judged,” one other said. 

A dozen of Russian soldiers have appeared in news conferences held by the Ukrainian authorities, an act questionable under the Geneva Conventions. Of those captured at least three Russian air force pilots said privately that they were under constraint. Much Russian military personnel captured as POWs by Ukraine appeared to oppose Russian President Vladimir Putin's what they were heard saying “barbaric invasion.” They were made to say on camera that the invasion was a 'terrible mistake’. One Russian fighter pilot held by Ukraine’s Army stated that he had received only his "secret combat order” for the special military operation in Ukraine. In the footage aired by Ukraine’s military, he was asked about his views on Putin’s claims that Ukraine was run by neo-Nazis.

"I think it was invented as a pretext and is something that the world cannot understand," the Russian pilot said. "But Putin and his circle need this in order to achieve their own objectives. One such step was that it would be beneficial for them to spread disinformation about fascism and Nazism.” The Russian pilot continued, "We didn't see any Nazis or fascists. Russians and Ukrainians can communicate in the same language, so we see the good [in these people].” He then said, "It's hard to give a direct assessment of Putin’s actions. But, at the bare minimum, judging by the consequences of his orders, he is incorrect."

Ukrainian authorities 'should stop posting videos..': HRW

Human Rights Watch demanded that social media platforms should also clarify whether and how videos of POWs that are incompatible with the Geneva Conventions fall under their existing policies. “The Ukrainian authorities should stop posting these videos online,” said Aisling Reidy, Senior Legal Advisor at Human Rights Watch.

Dozens of videos of captured Russian soldiers appeared on Ukraine Army’s Telegram channels, some of whom were interrogated while bound with their faces visible to the public, as they were made to say their names and other personal information. Ukraine’s SBU’s Telegram channel telecasted a captured Russian soldier on the phone with his mother. Another one was videotaped as he gave his name, birth date, and details on his military unit.

A Russian soldier caught during the war was aired with a bruised face and bandaged leg and he was being recorded on camera while he admitted that he went through Belarus to Chernobyl, 90 kilometres north of Kyiv. Some of the Russian troops captured as POWs were recorded blindfolded and gagged on their knees as they said their names and military unit at gunpoint. The video was later posted on social media and garnered over 785,000 views. The graphic images of the dead Russian soldiers were also shared prompting the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) demanding that Ukraine immediately halts transmitting publishing, or broadcasting Russian war prisoners under the Geneva Convention and Additional Protocol I. “Ukraine has clear obligations that it must uphold, including lawful treatment of POWs,” it stated. 

Image: Twitter/@carlosp202