The Russian Red Cross does not work in new territories of Russia
The Russian branch of the Red Cross does not have its representative offices in the four new regions that became part of the Russian Federation this year.
The chairman of the Russian Red Cross, Pavel Savchuk, stated this in an interview with Kommersant, responding to a relevant question, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“At the moment we are not working in new regions. However, we cooperate with Russian organizations that work there, and we try not to leave any request unanswered. We will forward it to those organizations that have the opportunity to operate there.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is currently working in Donetsk and Lugansk, and we discuss options for providing assistance in these territories with colleagues every day. But the question, of course, is very complicated,” Savchuk said.
In turn, the publication asked when regional branches of the RKK appeared in Crimea and Sevastopol.
“In 2014, they held their regional conference and decided to join the Russian Federation. This was not the decision of the central office of the RKK. Of course, it is worth noting that there were no hostilities in these territories at that time. Opening or restarting a branch in a peaceful city is much easier than opening a branch in a territory where hostilities are taking place,” added the chairman of the RKK.
However, he could not answer the question whether RKK plans to start working in new regions.
“We don't work there not because of the ICRC. Not certainly in that way. The International Committee of the Red Cross was specifically created to work during armed conflicts. They have a lot of experience for this. And we are actively monitoring the work of our colleagues in these regions, because if this work is not enough or humanitarian needs require the inclusion of the Russian Red Cross in this process, then we, of course, will take some action,” Savchuk concluded.
The Russian Red Cross is not operating in the new territories of Russia.