Additional Clarification Regarding the Ukrainian Red Cross Official Statement of 14 August 2026

In response to the significant number of enquiries and requests for information regarding the circumstances of the incident, the Ukrainian Red Cross provides the following additional clarification.

The Ukrainian Red Cross would like to clarify that, at the time the vehicle was stopped, the volunteer of the Ukrainian Red Cross emergency response team was not being sought by the authorities. He was also not informed at the time that he was to be taken to a Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centre to undergo a military medical examination, potentially followed by mobilisation.

Other volunteers from the organisation took over the evacuation of the people who were in the vehicle when it was stopped. Aware of the complexity of the situation and the associated risks, they ensured that the evacuees could continue their journey. The evacuation was successfully completed, but with a delay.

The Ukrainian Red Cross understands and respects the requirements of the applicable legislation governing mobilisation and military registration. At the same time, the organisation has a significant number of volunteers who have been mobilised and recognises that there is currently no adequate legal framework providing for volunteers to be deferred from mobilisation.

However, this situation involved particular circumstances: when he was stopped, the volunteer was directly engaged in a demanding humanitarian task — evacuating civilians from an unsafe area.

The Ukrainian Red Cross currently does not have a clear understanding of the conditions under which its volunteers can carry out life-saving and emergency response activities without being obstructed, including when operating in Mykolaiv Region or travelling through the region in transit, while simultaneously complying with military registration requirements.

This lack of clarity is already creating additional risks to the continuity of humanitarian operations and directly affects the organisation’s ability to deploy volunteers to carry out civilian evacuations, emergency response and assistance to affected people.

The Ukrainian Red Cross remains open to constructive dialogue with state authorities to develop a clear mechanism for coordination that will ensure both compliance with the law and the uninterrupted provision of humanitarian assistance to people in need.