GENEVA, August 10. /TASS/. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is ready to assist in the return of Russian sailors from civilian vessels detained in Ukraine’s Izmail in the Odessa Region, ICRC spokesman Evan Watson told TASS on Wednesday.
"The ICRC is in contact with the relevant authorities on the fate of the Russian sailors through its bilateral and confidential dialogue. The ICRC considers them civilians protected under the IV Geneva Convention, and stands ready to facilitate their return home," the spokesman said.
Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva Gennady Gatilov said on Tuesday that Russia had sent diplomatic notes to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet and the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer in connection with the forcible detention by Ukrainian authorities in Izmail of 67 Russian sailors from civil vessels. "We continue to draw attention of international organizations to inadmissability of the forcible detention of 67 Russian sailors from civilian vessels in the port of Izmail by the Ukrainian authorities," the diplomat said on his Twitter, "We have sent corresponding diplomatic notes to Michelle Bachelet and Peter Maurer."
As Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova reported in May, Izmail’s shipyards had been holding Russian civilian sailors since February, preventing them from leaving ships. The commissioner said on Telegram on July 30 that seven women from the crews had returned to Russia. Another 67 Russian sailors remained in Ukraine.
The Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, also known as the Fourth Geneva Convention, was adopted on August 12, 1949, and entered into force on October 21, 1950.