Ukraine demands Red Cross visits notorious prison

The Ukrainian government has asked the Red Cross to include the notorious Olenivka prison camp in the Russian-occupied eastern part of the country in its mission.

Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, demanded that the Red Cross visit the prison in Donetsk within three days.

“We just can’t waste more time. Human lives are at stake” he revealed through his media handler.

Since 2014, the Olenivka prison has been under the control of Russian-backed authorities in Donetsk and the conditions of the prisoners has been rated as extremely poor.

In July, dozens of Ukrainian prisoners were killed in rocket attacks at the camp, which both sides blamed on each other.

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Kyiv said the prison was targeted by Russia to destroy evidence of torture and killing, while Moscow blamed Ukrainian rockets.

President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated the importance of the visit and accused the Red Cross of inaction, saying it “obligations, primarily is of a moral nature”.

Mr Zelensky also said that he believed that the Red Cross is “not a club with privileges where one receives a salary and enjoys life.”

He said a mission to the prison camp could be organised similar to that of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which visited the Russian area of Zaporizhzhia, nuclear power station in August.

Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky revealed that Ukraine would celebrate its Defenders Day on Friday, which was made a national holiday in 2014 after Russia’s invasion of Crimea.

Samuel Omowumi Racheal