Ukrainian Red Cross official Statement on the Unlawful Activities of the Belarus Red Cross in Ukraine’s Temporarily Occupied Territories

Ukrainian Red Cross official Statement on the Unlawful Activities of the Belarus Red Cross in Ukraine’s Temporarily Occupied Territories

The Ukrainian Red Cross strongly condemns the actions of the Belarus Red Cross in relation to their activities within Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories, particularly in the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.

This condemnation follows the airing of a segment titled “CHILDREN OF WAR” on the national channel “Belarus 1,” featuring the Secretary-General of the Belarus Red Cross, Dmitry Shevtsov. The segment showed his visit to the temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine, including Mariupol, Severodonetsk, and Lysychansk, under the pretext of a humanitarian mission.

During this segment, the Secretary-General underscored the active involvement of the Belarus Red Cross in the deportation of children from Ukrainian territories.

Moreover, prior to the segment’s broadcast, information surfaced on Telegram channels exposing Shevtsov’s previous visits to the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories. During these visits, he was spotted wearing camouflage attire and a chevron adorned with the symbol “Z,” which is widely recognized as a representation of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

These actions unequivocally reinforce the Belarus Red Cross’s intentional support for the policy of child abduction and legitimization of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Not only do these actions exhibit a conscious disregard for the organization’s statutory obligations within the framework of the International Movement, but they also constitute grave breaches of international humanitarian law on its part.

We urgently call upon the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, as well as all Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies, to denounce the involvement of the Belarus Red Cross in the deportation of Ukrainian children and their activities within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine. Furthermore, we implore them to carefully consider the matter of excluding the Belarus Red Cross from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.