Institutional mess
The difficulty is sophisticated by the truth that quite a lot of Ukrainian state our bodies are liable for documenting and investigating the seize of POWs.
“Initially the recruitment workplace that drafted the serviceman should inform the household [that a soldier has been captured], however usually they fail [to do so]. They don’t give them any info, inform them to get misplaced, and this turns right into a nightmare that may final for months,” Reshetylova says.
In March, the Ukrainian authorities established a Coordinating Headquarters for the Remedy of Prisoners of Battle (CHTPW), which incorporates representatives from defence intelligence, the safety service, nationwide police and different our bodies. Kin usually should contact every company individually for details about lacking troopers, and sometimes obtain no reply from any of them.
Since its institution, the CHTPW has processed about 6,000 requests. In keeping with the Purple Cross, Russia holds some 2,500 POWs, with one other thousand having been returned in prisoner exchanges up to now.
Reshetylova believes the true variety of POWs to be larger. However Ukraine doesn’t share figures on Ukrainians in Russian captivity – partly, say officers, as a result of Russia doesn’t give information on captives and sometimes claims captured civilians are POWs.
Ukraine has a coverage of not sharing info on particular person POWs with family and journalists till the prisoners return to Ukraine.
As a substitute, the CHTPW recommends that family ought to enchantment to worldwide humanitarian organisations, criticise Russia for non-compliance with the Geneva Conventions, and emphasise that Ukraine is consistently working to free captives.
Skrebets didn’t obtain affirmation from the CHTPW that her husband had been taken prisoner till 13 June, two months after his seize.
“They instructed me they couldn’t inform me the place my husband was held and what his situation was in order ‘to not hurt the boys,’” she says.
Later, Skrebets says, she found that her husband’s POW standing had been confirmed greater than a month earlier by the Purple Cross. She is annoyed at having been stored in a state of uncertainty for thus lengthy.
