No response from Russia to inquiries from int’l organizations about captured Azov soldiers - Coordination Center

That’s according to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Ukrinform reports.

At the initiative of the NGO Women of Steel, representatives from the Coordination Headquarters, National Guard, National Police, and Azov Brigade met with the families of the Azov National Guard Assault Brigad soldiers, reads the report posted on Telegram.

A representative of the Headquarters stated that the Russian side was obstructing the return of the Azov soldiers, and that "we can demand their return every day, but it won’t change anything."

During the meeting, the parties raised the issue of finding ways to ensure that the Russian side confirms that the soldiers are in fact in captivity. A representative of Azov reported that not everyone was extracted from Azovstal under the supervision of international organizations on May 16 and 17, 2022. The defenders were evacuated without representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross in place. At the same time, on their way out, all their names were recorded and the relevant lists were handed over to the National Guard. On May 18-20, ICRC observers interviewed those who made it out of the plant's premises, according to the meeting participants.

"We have additional information from those who have been released from captivity," emphasized the HQ representative. "It is important for us to know where our guys are, and we demand that they be released. The type of accounting doesn’t matter because Russia does not conduct any correspondence with us. That is, we cannot appeal to the Russian Federation to confirm certain things immediately. The enemy doesn’t even respond to inquiries from international organizations."

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on April 10, Ukraine completed another large exchange of prisoners of war, with 100 Ukrainian defenders returning home, including soldiers, sailors, border guards, and national guardsmen. Among them are the defenders of Mariupol, Azovstal, and Hostomel. Some of them have been seriously injured and are ill. They will undergo rehabilitation as required.