The International Committee of the Red Cross has not been able to gain access to the place of death of Ukrainian defenders in the detention center in the temporarily occupied Olenivka in Donetsk region for a month, but it is trying to get there. This was announced by ICRC General Director Robert Mardini at a press conference in Kyiv.

 "It has already been a month since the attack on Olenivskiy Detention Center. Despite active confidential negotiations, we have not been granted access to the POWs affected by the attack. We also do not have the security guarantees necessary to carry out this visit. We are working hard to change that. ", said Mardini.

 He added that he understands that society has questions about the ICRC's role in Ukraine, and considers it necessary to explain what the agency "can and cannot do as an organization." In particular, the director general of the ICRC noted that the organization cannot force anyone to comply with the provisions of the Third Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War in this or any other armed conflict.

 "This is the responsibility of the parties, especially in the context of an international armed conflict. Whether they like it or not, the warring parties have an obligation to implement the norms they have agreed to. The ICRC, as a humanitarian organization, is not in a position to compel governments or armed forces to act . We do not have weapons. We are not politicians," said the Director General of the ICRC.